40 Years of Passion: Collection David H. Brolliet, Geneva, installation view, Fondation Fernet Branca, Saint-Louis, France (2018)
Hassam Sharif, included in the group exhibition 40 Years of Passion: Collection David H. Brolliet, Geneva, curated by Véronique Hillereau and Yann Rudler, at the Fondation Fernet Branca, Saint-Louis, France.
The Fondation Fernet Branca presents an exhibition of the collection of David Brolliet, collector from Geneva who for the past forty years has been passionately committed to contemporary art.
David Brolliet who is known for his political commitment, but who also produces films and appears as a singer and actor, has more than one string to his bow. However, this exhibition focuses on the collector, his eclecticism, his favorite works, his commitment. The selection of works traces David Brolliet’s path since his first piece chosen at the famous Geneva gallery Pierre Huber as an 18 year old: a sculpture by the Lyon artist Jean-Philippe Aubanel. Then come other Lyon artists and Swiss artists, some of them very well known like John Armleder, Sylvie Fleury, Roman Signer or Pipiloti Rist. In the middle of the nineties David H. Brolliet takes a base in Paris where he will meet the new art scene from that time: Saâdane Afif, Kader Attia, Wang Du, Richard Fauguet, Marlene Mocquet, Bruno Peinado, Barthélémy Toguo, Erwin Wurm, Chen Zhen…
His commitment is mainly reflected by his involvement in ADIAF (Association pour la Diffusion Internationale de l’Art Français) who organizes among other things the Marcel Duchamp Prize for young artists. He had been a board member of ADIAF during several years before moving to Paris in 2009. He takes an active part in the exhibitions ”De leur temps” where pieces belonging to ADIAF’s collectors are presented. He is also actively involved in MAMCO (Musée d’art moderne et contemporain) of Geneva to whom he has donated and lent important works. His Paris apartment is packed from floor to ceiling with his favorite pieces. He likes to describe himself as a committed if not “professional collector”; he can be seen at vernissages and at international art fairs, but also in artist’s studios alongside the artists he follows. This closeness to the artists is typical for Brolliet who never buys works without meeting the artist beforehand.
For about ten years, David Brolliet has been interested into the African art scene and has been travelling to Africa to develop his projects.
David Brolliet’s collection is eclectic. It is the result of his encounters and his favorite pieces since 40 years. In the small spaces of the exhibition, the very dense arrangement of the works seeks to recall the atmosphere of the presentation in the collector’s apartment. The works are arranged by affinity, meet and sometimes confront each other. The concept in the big exhibition room is different: Here the larger works can deploy their best effect and visitors are able to move easier and get a wider vision of the exhibition and its various facets.
40 Years of Passion: Collection David H. Brolliet, Geneva
May 26 – September 30, 2018
2 Rue du Ballon
68300 Saint-Louis, France