After two and half years of construction work, twenty-three years of congregating collections and years of weaving relations with the public, the MAC/VAL, contemporary art museum in the Val-de-Marne, opens its doors to everyone, aspiring to tell the story of French art by meeting the artists themselves, and a desire to have you brave the unique adventure of discovering art.
The project was based on the awareness that artists’ presence in the world is necessary, and that their visions are essential for us to understand the world better and to be more open-minded. This explains our solidly sincere support to artists who have, over the years, created our collection. Raoul-Jean Moulin thus gathered together hundreds of artwork for the Departmental Council, related to his own artistic affinities and friendships, often related to his surroundings and his background. Indeed, the Val-de-Marne is a region of creation, welcoming numerous foreign artists who are often refugees. It has also inspired many Parisian artists to settle in this region, to set up their workshops, or live.
The acquisition policy is also based on this historic and factual reality. The FDAC, Regional Fund of Contemporary Art, was created with an intimate and often friendly relationship with them which has given the collection this particular resonance of collective artistic commitments. In 1990, the collective adopted a new perspective and became the museum backbone. It has been pursued and transformed to create significant ties not only between the works, but also cohesions revealing individual artistic developments, creational processes and issues in the art world. The collection has claimed a cosmopolitan dimension with its presence in France – a land of refuge, of passage, influence or reception, a singular art-oriented territory moulded by the potential of French artists and their interactions with others. Various art forms (painting, video, photography, installation …) dialogue together for this first themed hanging, paying tribute to the artists.
For the beginning of our adventure, we’ve chosen artists who incite the public to interact with their work, where the visitor becomes a component of their work. We’ve also chosen creators who are inspired by daily world events, exhibiting what both the public and the artists would consider commonplace. The museum’s project is to create conditions where the artist and the public can meet, despite differences, ages, origins and expectations …
The museum attempts a dialogue and unison between art and life – the life of artists, art which gives meaning – a place to experience art.
Alexia Fabre, Head Curator