Near Rouen, the Matmut Contemporary Art Center celebrates its 10th anniversary
In Saint-Pierre-de-Varengeville (near Rouen), the castle built in the 19th century is the pride of its inhabitants. But not only, because its influence goes far beyond since its acquisition in 1969 by Matmut. What was the property of Gaston Le Breton (1845-1920), director of the museums of Seine-Maritime where was engraved on the pediment “Omnia pro arte” (Everything for art) and welcomed the greatest artists, scientists and politicians of the time became between 1984 and 2007, the headquarters and telephone reception of the mutual insurance company. But now, ten years ago, Chairman and CEO Daniel Havis from 1994 to 2015 decided otherwise. Now Honorary President, he looks back on this extraordinary adventure. Moreover, for this 10th anniversary, his name has been added to the Center d’art contemporain de la Matmut.
“The Ms at the entrance are not those of the Matmut, they are already works of art by Vera Molnar”
First of all, the figures speak for themselves: 500 m2 of gallery on three levels plus seven hectares of park with the arboretum, the Japanese gardens and five bedrooms, all offered to the permanent collection including the two cubes by Vera Molnar, the very large gorilla mask by Quentin Garel and the series of sculptures by Jean-Marc Depas. Each year, nearly 210,000 visitors download the site free of charge, “because since I have been able to materialize this idea through the code of mutual societies, in my opinion, it is quite pointless to talk about art without allow it to be approached. Somewhere, it’s true that in Normandy in general and in the Rouen region in particular, when we talk about art, we talk about medieval and Gothic architecture, we talk about music with Boieldieu and painting with the Impressionists. I would have a hard time saying that all this is worth nothing, but all this can be seen, touched up close in magnificent museums and monuments. So, I wanted to respond to this fiber that tickled me, that of contemporary art without the problem of it being perceived as an elitist art. So I wanted to create something living, mobile that speaks to people,” explains the man who remembers the lack of culture in his upbringing. in this adventure. It’s also because the art is wonderful. It is the eternal rediscovery of beauty. Beauty is not fixed. The beautiful is not written once and for all. This is the message that I want to convey” adds Daniel Havis.
Two years of work
The manager’s first idea was first to install the galleries in downtown Rouen in a former printing press, again owned by the group, but “as the work progressed, I realized that it was not the right place for access problems, but also because it was not a place for walking”. So he thought back to the castle. But how to move the staff in place who did not want to return to traffic jams and integrated into an artistic place. With his teams, Daniel Havis first had “modern premises built a few meters away, fully integrated into the site so as not to disturb the view of the castle. It is a success. Then, it took a calibrated place to make beautiful exhibitions while being reasonable. What space should be provided to artists for a quarter? Are they exhibiting 30 or 800 paintings? So, on a request to gallery owners. The floors have become a corporate university. Today, I like this contrast between this romantic castle and contemporary art. I think that makes sense.” After two years of work, in December 2011, the Academician of Fine Arts Philippe Garel posed his paintings and posed his sculptures.
Dozens of French and international artists have succeeded “Always with the general idea of presenting quality, high-level and accessible contemporary art. An art understandable by all, which speaks to the public in their daily lives. With the cultural pole, we seek a good balance. I have always tried through programming to have exhibitions that appeal to as many people as possible. We seem to have met expectations,” says Daniel Havis. A recognized success since a waiting list of painters and sculptors exists. Another non-transigible point for the founder of the Center for Contemporary Art is access to the youngest. In addition to numerous resources, dozens of partnerships have been signed with schools, “because art shouldn’t be reserved only for the old against the paunchy. It is important that the children feel recognized”.