Fondation Maeght

The Fondation Maeght building in Saint-Paul de Vence, France.
View of the sculpture garden at The Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul de Vence, France.

The Maeght Foundation or Fondation Maeght (pronounced [mɑɡ])[1][2] is a museum of modern art on the Colline des Gardettes, a hill overlooking Saint-Paul de Vence in the southeast of France about 25 km (16 mi) from Nice. It was established by Marguerite and Aimé Maeght in 1964 and houses paintings, sculptures, collages, ceramics and all forms of modern art. [3][4][5]

The collection includes works by many important 20th-century artists including Jean Arp, Pierre Bonnard, Georges Braque, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Sam Francis, Alberto Giacometti, Wassily Kandinsky, Ellsworth Kelly, Fernand Léger, Anne Madden and Joan Miró among others.[4][5]

The building was designed by the Spanish architect Josep Lluís Sert,[5] houses more than 12,000 pieces of art and attracts "on average, 200,000 visitors ... every year".[4] There is a small chapel dedicated to Saint Bernard, in memory of Bernard, the son of Aimé and Marguerite Maeght who died of leukemia, aged eleven.[5]

The foundation is entirely independently funded with no reliance on state subsidies.[4] Adrien Maeght is the chairman of the foundation's administrative council, which also includes Isabelle Maeght and her sister Yoyo Maeght.[4]

As of 2024, the museum is home to 13,000 objects. It celebrated its 60th anniversary with a new expansion that was designed by Paris-based firm Silvio d’Ascia Architecture. The expansion adds over 5,000 square feet to the footprint and has been done without disturbing any of the original architecture by Josep Lluís Sert.[6]

  1. ^ The French surname Maeght is pronounced like "mahg" (unlike its original Flemish surname, which is pronounced like "makt").
  2. ^ Lohse, Marianne (23 May 2012), "Maeght: A Family Affair", France Today, Bath, United Kingdom, archived from the original on 20 April 2016, retrieved 12 February 2016
  3. ^ Birksted, Jan K. (2004). Modernism and the Mediterranean: The Maeght Foundation. Aldershot: Ashgate. ISBN 9780754601791.
  4. ^ a b c d e "The future of the Maeght Foundation: Sunshine and colour", The Economist, London, 26 July 2014, retrieved 12 February 2016
  5. ^ a b c d Fraser, C. Gerald (7 Sep 1981), Aimé Maeght Dies; Art Dealer Was 75 The New York Times.
  6. ^ Belmont, Sarah (11 July 2024). "The French Riviera's Crown Jewel Celebrates Its 60th Anniversary with a New Expansion This Summer". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 12 July 2024.