Annette MESSAGER (1943)

“La Force de l’Art” opens to the public from 9 May to 25 June, bringing together fifteen exhibitions for the first of a new triennial series of shows intended to restore France to the forefront of the international art scene.

On 9 May 2005, François Pinault abandoned his plans to turn Renault’s old factory site in Boulogne-Billancourt into a contemporary art foundation. Worn down by bureaucratic obstructions, he opted instead to take his collection to Venice’s Grassi Palace. It was one of precious few cultural projects in France not to rely on public subsidy and would have created a rival for London’s Saatchi gallery and a great opportunity to promote French contemporary art.