La collection Thea Westreich Wagner et Ethan Wagner — Centre Georges Pompidou — Exhibition — Slash Paris

Past: June 10, 2016 → February 6, 2017

As an extension of Cher(e)s Ami(e)s, presented in the refurbished areas of the Musée National d’Art Moderne since 23 March, this exhibition devoted to the collection of Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner pays tribute to the philanthropy of this couple of collectors from New York. They have promised over 850 works as a donation: 350 to the Centre Pompidou Foundation and 500 to the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Over the years, the couple built a living collection, representative of their own vision of collecting and patronage, keeping in constant dialogue with the artists.

The two institutions are presenting two consecutive exhibitions with a selection of works from this remarkable donation, at the Whitney Museum until 6 March 2016, then at the Centre Pompidou from 10 June 2016 to 6 February 2017. The exhibition’s curators are Christine Macel, chief curator at the Musée National d’Art Moderne, in charge of the Contemporary and Prospective Creation department, and Elisabeth Sussman, curator and Sondra Gilman Curator of Photography at the Whitney Museum, together with Elisabeth Sherman, assistant curator at the Whitney Museum and Loïc Le Gall, assistant curator at the Musée National d’Art Moderne.

Cindy Sherman, Untitled (portrait) / [Sans titre (portrait)], 1975 Tirage gélatino-argentique — 49,1 × 32,9 cm Prêt du Whitney Museum, promesse de don de Thea Westreich Wagner et Ethan Wagner © Cindy Sherman ; courtesy de l’artiste et Metro Pictures, New York

For this occasion, nearly 150 works will be unveiled to the public in an area within the permanent contemporary collections on the museum’s 4th floor. The presentation in Paris highlights the European section of the donation, bringing together works by fifty-odd artists, with many works by major figures already well known in the contemporary scene — Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Martin Barré, Jeff Koons, Philippe Parreno, Christopher Wool and Heimo Zobernig — together with others who have established themselves more recently, like Claire Fontaine, Sam Lewitt, Paulina Olowska, Laura Owens, Josephine Pryde and Danh Vo. Some works complement other works already in the collection, by artists such as Ryan Gander and Keith Tyson, while several others are making their first appearance in the Centre Pompidou collections, like Michael Krebber, Lucy McKenzie and Simon Starling.

The Centre Pompidou Foundation, based in Los Angeles, was created in 1977 to encourage donations to the Centre Pompidou. In this way, the museum’s collections are expanded from year to year, particularly with American art and design. The foundation has already acquired nearly 450 works for the Centre Pompidou.

Klara Lidén, Self Portrait with the Keys to the City [Autoportrait avec les clés de la ville], 2005 Tirage numérique — 35.6 × 22.9 cm Dépôt de la Centre Pompidou Foundation, promesse de don de Thea Westreich Wagner et Ethan Wagner © Klara Lidén ; courtesy Galerie Neu, Berlin.

This presentation, initiated with Cher(e)s Ami(e), provides a chance to seek out testimonies from donors, artists and patrons, whose personal histories and passion make it possible to offer the public a living collection illustrating the diversity of contemporary creation.