Catching the last days of the William Leavitt retrospective at MAMCO this weekend, it was a great opportunity to visit the museum I hadn’t been to in a few years… In the multitude of foundations and museums in Switzerland the MAMCO – Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain of Geneva keeps the palm for its standard of greatness. Led since it’s opening by the hypnotizing and passionate curator and critic Christian Bernard, the new direction handled today by Lionel Bovier has kept the Museum’s spirit intact. The collections built with former director and a handful of donors are the museum’s double strength. Based on short period from the 60’s till today, the MAMCO program is quite peculiar, because it is not a stardom driven program but more of a critical statement underlining the work of artists questioning the society of spectacle and the notion of art itself.
Lionel Bovier underlines that with the touristic impact and a stronger art reviews presence in medias _ consensual criticism, it takes a lot for institutions to present art that will compete with private foundations and keep a record of attendance that will maintain its status. Playing on words and the hardship of having a cultural center in the mix of today’s propositions, the new director expresses in his editorial of the first issue of MAMCO magazine, that it is probably one of the hardest position to keep today. MAMCO director Lionel Bovier co-curates each floors and wells collectives work from the collections such as ECART and General Idea . The Allen Ruppersberg floor and the Never Ending Book is also following the line of its statement along with the Collection Yoon Ja and Paul Devautour mysterious Art Keller message paintings as translated “Between the forces of the market , the recuperation from institutions and art history, neither the thought, nor the voice of the artist has any chance. “
The art of the narrative is a thematic we can follow throughout the museum and its new MAMCO magazine is great new asset, as an extension of the program, highlighting from the past to present its curatorial and political statement. It also puts it further in perspective with future exhibitions announcement and delivers the semantic link of what makes a curatorial program pertinent and coherent for a deeper and greater reading of the museum’s intentions from the public.
Enjoy a gaze at this post and visit the MAMCO if you have chance. William Leavitt retrospective is open until February 4th.
Geneva, January 2018
Géraldine Postel
William Leavitt – California Patio 1972
William Leavitt – between conceptual pieces and futuristic paintings explores the fiction relevant of his Californian surroundings…
William Leavitt – Theme Restaurant 1986
Art Keller – le Masque d’Argent collection Yoon Ja Choi & Paul Devautour – as translated “Between the forces of the market , the recuperation from institutions and art history, neither the thought, nor the voice of the artist has any chance. ”
Allen Ruppersberg – The Never Ending Book
