Just collector

[gans]

Pierre Brochet Christian: "I'm just a collector, and this is such a disease, which can not be cured"

With the start of the financial crisis on the art market experts talk about that for the sphere of contemporary art, this process only benefit. There will be a natural selection - is artificially inflated the names will disappear, leaving only the most deserving. But the modern Russian art market selects not so much as curators, gallery owners and collectors are very rare. Collectors of contemporary Russian art a little, and only those who are trying to shape the tastes and trends, just one. One of them - Christian Pierre Brochet, a French entrepreneur, founder of the publishing house "Avangard", produced a guide Le Petit Fute. Brochet, for 20 years living in Russia and buys the work of young artists, often their friends and acquaintances. It formed a collection that tells not only the history of Russian art, but his personal life. In 2007, she was shown at an exhibition in the MMSI, and then toured many cities in Russia. Today this project, called "The Future Depends on You", is completed, but Pierre Brochet Christian continues to open new names of Russian art.

- Mr. Brochet, how is it that you're a European, threw respectable France and arrived in a strange, faraway Russia. What is it - a personal interest or surgery fashion for all Russian?

- No, the reason for the business. The company where I worked, a joint venture in Russia. I was development director of the company, often come here and eventually left for good. There was much interesting. There was a feeling that you live in some unreal moment in the history of mankind, one of the highlights of the XX century.

- then you already knew something about Russian art?

- I am quite familiar with the history of pre-revolutionary Russian art, Constructivism, Suprematism. These areas were known in the West, in France, for example, the 1980's were published many books about the Russian Avant-garde. And with modern Russian art, I met at the exhibitions "Paris-Moscow" at the Centre Pompidou and the "live-see" in Bern in 1987. There were Bulatov, Kabakov, Zakharov, Zvezdochetov. At the same time in France came out a few publications. For example (showing a French magazine in 1989), the entire room is dedicated to the art of the USSR. Several works that are published now in my collection.

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- if you want to buy contemporary Russian art?

- It was just the first experience of acquaintance. In Russia I met my future wife (an artist Anne Brochet. - "NG"), showed her the magazine and it turned out that all the artists represented there - her friends. And in 1989 I got into the gallery Aidan Salakhova and bought her several works, including "Products" Gia Abramishvili that could not have better reflected the situation in the country. So it all started. Why I collect all this until now? First, when you live in one country, you know that it happens. I am convinced that, if fate brought me to Brazil, I would buy the Brazilian art in China - the Chinese would buy. I'm just a collector, and this is such a disease which can not be cured. But probably the most pleasant disease around. You not only get acquainted with the doctor and nurse, but there were hundreds of nice people. Besides, I like the gesture itself - to give money for the work. I knew right away that this is a great tool for integration. Are you acquainted with the artists, art dealers, and ultimately this world is far from the worst the world in the field of culture. These people constantly are doing, something come up, look at society through different eyes and to actively influence it.

- Over the past 20 years the world had somehow changed? Then it was sort Tusovka for the elite, but today the fairly narrow range.

- Up to 1993-1994, in Moscow there were two squat staffed by artists - Net ponds and Trekhprudny Blvd. The only gallery was "Aidan", then it was called "First gallery. Where else could we have collected? They sat in the shop, drinking vodka, wine and discuss restructuring. I brought a special Western cultural baggage - are well known Western art and also studied philosophy. I remember in St. Petersburg in 1991 met with Africa (artist Sergei Bugaev-Africa. - "NG") and his gang. They embraced me, almost like a prophet (laughs), because I knew the theory of Derrida, Lyotard, Guattari. We just do not. We just came parties, but before that was just a small circle of people. While the young artists still come to me with requests to evaluate, comment on their work. So I continue to perform the same function.

- By selecting the work of young artists, you are doing the job, atypical for a collector, but rather a characteristic supervisor or art criticism.

- Yes, but in fact I just recently realized what I do - when to show his collection in 2007 MMSI. It had to be divided into four parts, and I saw in the papers reflected the historical process of the past 20 years. People often ask me why I do not want artists such as Kabakov or Bulatov. I just did not find them: Kabakov left in 1987, Bulatov - in 1988, Komar and Melamid - even earlier. These monsters from art gone, and you know, as they say, "my father died." It was a very strong feeling. Young artists felt a new breath, as if they had no ancestors. They went away, and God with them, but here it was necessary to somehow live, create, tell and show what is happening in this country.

- Young artists then feel free?

- You know, when we Sergei Bugaev were in Khabarovsk, were somehow in the street, and every hundred meters stopped - learned from the film "Assa, where he was playing. Remember, there is such a moment: Bugaev invited to the workshop Tanya Drubich and move the iron plate with the inscription iron curtain («iron curtain"), but for him they find a red pipe - communication tube. The new communication, new freedom. This is a very significant moment, not only film, but even that era. And it was two years before the collapse of the Berlin Wall. At the same time in Moscow were the two main parties - "Gagarin-Party» at the Exhibition of Economic Achievements in the pavilion "Space" and "Mobile" at the velodrome in Krylatskoye. We danced under the missiles and satellites. Imagine that in Europe is impossible. These were the first, simply fantastic signs of freedom. During these years, artists have created a new lifestyle, new opportunities to understand what freedom is. Not politics, not business, namely, the artists have shown this way. In Russia, the missing philosophy, I am referring to the movement of thought, as, for example, most powerful postwar philosophical movement in France. But there were artists, whose role is, I think we are still very underestimate. Yeltsin appeared thanks to the artists (laughs). It was they who made it possible to feel comfortable in the new freedom. And the same Kabakov left and did not know what happened here. That went on to describe that the Soviet situation, in which he lived. He ceased to be a contemporary artist and has become a classic.

- then you are attracted to this freedom in the work of artists, but the times have changed. Your criteria when selecting products have changed too?

- My criteria for a little change. I still expect from the artist that he is, first, I was surprised, and second, surprise, third, expand my vision, my vision of life and, finally, at least slightly activates the neurons in my brain. Art for this exists. Not only in Russia but also in the world, people do not understand what is modern art. They are trying to compare modern and classical art. It looks as if you go to evaluate film eyes theoretician of the theater. He immediately says that is nonsense! A contemporary art - no nonsense, and another form of creativity. Art is not just for the sake of beauty, even the classical works of XV-XVII centuries. In beauty there is a very deep philosophical, political, religious thought. The worst thing that can happen to a man - is when he lies on his deathbed, and feels that his brain did not develop over a lifetime. We're not here to be as vegetables.

- In addition to internal criteria is there for you investment component? Once you have arrived in Russia, the Russian art market is just beginning to emerge.

- The market began to form after 2001-2002, before that it was only its embryo. Is there an art market in Russia now - this is also a question. I'm not so sure. Several new galleries, some number of new collectors on the last Venice Biennale is to say that in Russian art, a feeling of energy. But by and large the market has not appeared. Very few rich people collect contemporary Russian art. They all say - nothing interesting. I recently attended an exhibition in the gallery of Victor Pinchuk in Kiev. It went just such people, considered works of famous western artists and reasoned: Well, perhaps in Russia who is doing something is art? They do not understand that Western artists are fully secured - they have brains, and money. I want to make a rabbit a bronze in the form of inflatable toys - please. In Russia, one simply can not afford it, everything continues as in the 1990's, doing what I call bricolage (French - "crafts." - "NG"). I tried to explain to them: Dear friends, start to acquire the work of young artists who start to pay money. It does not cost 500,000 dollars, as Chinese artists, and not 10 million, as Jeff Koons, a thousand, two, five - for you is just funny money. But people still can not understand why we need to spend 5,000 dollars for the work with which it is not clear what will happen next. But you are buying for the same price bottle of wine, and you are not afraid. If you think you need to do to have some special scent, it is nonsense. Find someone who is different from other, simply. When I first saw Dubosarsky and Vinogradov in 1998, it was immediately clear that this is an excellent artists. Being wrong is almost impossible. A talented young artists now, there are many, especially in the regions.

- By the way, what is happening in the regions? You have a good time to study them until driven around the country his project "The future depends on you."

- There are people who are trying hard. And the government, such as the NCCA in Ekaterinburg and Samara, and private initiative. The most glaring example - Perm, and Novosibirsk in Siberia now create a center for contemporary art, there is a rumor that in Kazan will be a great project. In some cities, there are galleries, but still very weak. Although the biggest trouble is that there is still no museum of modern art. Whether in all the cities Artists Union occupied this niche and not let other initiatives, or, more likely, over the past 20 years, no one needed any art or culture in general. In Russia do not understand that art can play a role in shaping the image of the country. In America, in Europe, collectors - are the same businessmen. Their attitude toward the country largely due to their hobby. If a politician, businessman sees that in Russia there is a strong creative environment, he understands that this country is free and growing rapidly. Modern art - a strong weapon PR, but in Russia this concept still poorly developed.

- The project "The Future Depends on You" was precisely an example of the use of modern art as a PR.

- Yes, it was the initiative of one of the mobile companies. I offered to show contemporary art in the scale of their coverage from Vladivostok to Kaliningrad. We are not lazy, brought artists, films, arranged parties, lectures, which accounts for about 800 students, not only the history of art, but also students of business. I told them that if tomorrow they want to be international businessmen, they should know who they Kulik, Pepperstein, Dubosarskiy Vinogradov. Without it, they can be very uncomfortable, because their western counterparts go to Frieze, Art Basel, etc. The project was a fantastic event in many cities. In Khabarovsk, in July it's 13 thousand people - a lot. People interested in art, and watch them it just anywhere.

- In order for modern art evolved, especially in the regions, whether state support?

- Requires state interference. When the rich people will realize that you can live and do not necessarily go to London, they will begin to build museums. State support should be directed to the development of the concept of inheritance, I mean the cultural, intellectual. So that people are not afraid to create in this country something new and were confident that their achievement will not disappear, but will be passed down through generations. Then they would have appeared new institutions associated with art. See a map of museums in Germany: a wonderful museum in Dusseldorf, a wonderful museum in Krefeld, Essen and Bonn. It's like a wonderful museum in Moscow, Zvenigorod, Kolomna ...

- Did you not going to open a museum?

- Today, in order to create a good museum, you must have 50-100 million euros. My business does not allow. You know anecdote: "How to Be a Millionaire? - You have to be a billionaire and start to engage in publishing business. " I can not afford to buy a work that is worth more than 10 thousand dollars, but I can pay a thousand or two for the work of a beginner artist. I bought this beautiful painting Kallima (shown hanging on a wall work "Lezginka Alexei Kallima) in 2004 for a thousand dollars, and today his works are worth 40,000 euros, and that I no longer can afford. But accumulated over 20 years experience allows me to do what I really good at it: the choice of young artists. After traveling exhibition "The future depends on you," the idea that my choice is the right art. This allows me to give impetus to the young artists. If their work appears in my collection, for them it is a big psychological advantage. Besides, it gives me a wonderful feeling that I'm not getting old.

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future depends on you