Frédéric de Goldschmidt's Art-Work Hybrid
The film and TV producer and art collector is opening a co-working space-meets-private art gallery in Brussels.
WORLD/BUT I WILL BE HOME SOON installed at Cloud Seven, 2021. Courtesy Frédéric de Goldschmidt Collection.
For those working remotely in Brussels, a new hybrid co-working space will offer the chance to be surrounded by the art collection of Frédéric de Goldschmidt.
The new venue in the centre of the Belgium capital, called Cloud Seven, is a multi-storey building showcasing more than 300 works from de Goldschmidt's private art collection. His collection is focused on emerging artists from the 1960s, and ‘70s art movements including the Zero Group and Arte Povera, as well as conceptual and minimal art.
The older half of the building, which dates back to the 1820s, will be an exclusive private members club and co-working space, spanning seven floors and 1,500 square meters. It will include two private residences, as well as two lofts for short-term stays, a recording studio, screening room, bar, and fully-equipped gym.
An inaugural exhibition will open 11 November 2021, co-curated by Grégory Lang, as a preview to the official opening of Cloud Seven in February 2022, featuring works by Alighiero Boetti, Louise Bourgeois, Julian Charrière, Mary Corse, Theaster Gates, Roni Horn, Anne Imhof, Christian Jankowski, Imi Knoebel, Kapwani Kiwanga, Alicja Kwade, François Morellet, Damián Ortega, Wolfgang Tillmans, David Wojnarowicz, among others.
Billionaire sat down with Frédéric de Goldschmidt to discuss the legacy of his art.
How did you become a collector?
My grandmother was a collector in her own right: she lived with impressionist paintings on all her walls. When she passed away, she bequeathed me with a Manet. The latter’s value was too great for me to live with it casually; yet I wanted to turn this legacy into something meaningful. I sold the Manet with the aim to reinvest the money in art and creativity and find a real meaning in it. Understanding that I was part of a legacy and continuing to honour it, this is how I became a collector.
What was the first piece?
I collect in a personal way with serious consideration: I bought a first art piece in 2008. I was visiting FIAC the year before, like an ordinary Parisian; I saw an installation by Benjamin Sabatier that I would have bought if it hadn’t already been sold. I waited for the opening date of his next show to buy “Inrockuptibles n° 01 – Série Bacs” – a piece composed of ice cube trays filled with crumpled magazine pages. I realized later that I was always particularly drawn to artists who transform simple elements in novel ways, often with neglected, utilitarian materials.
Can you talk a little more about the artist’s role and power today?
Artists play an important role in challenging or understanding the world we live in.
Many artists showcase in a personal way – in direct and sensible terms – the bigger questions that surround us: by materializing (i.e.: giving a form, color, volume) a scientific concept for example, they sum up in a piece or installation what scientist need countless pages to explain! Some artists are visionaries of our time, they show us what lies ahead.
What role do you think you can play as a collector?
Like artists, to be witness of our times, see opportunities and futures in an artwork. I want to support contemporary art, take part in a meaningful quest. Plus, sharing it with others is a real pleasure.
The role of a collector is to be a custodian for future generations: to preserve, protect, share and enlighten. At Cloud Seven, I will show pieces that are lesser known, exhibit younger artists, push a wider audience to discover new talents, confront ideas and ideals. Organizing exhibitions, welcoming different audiences and confronting point of views are Cloud Seven’s missions.
