Parade, a French scene. Laurent Dumas Collection

In the continuation of its programme, MO.CO. will further its exploration of private collections as essential parts of our understanding to artists and their works. MO.CO. has invited art collector Laurent Dumas, a passionate supporter of contemporary creation, to present a portion of his collection, curated for this exhibition through Éric de Chassey’s keen eye. The exhibition reflects our shared commitment to supporting creation, as well as the diversity of a collection that crystallises the vividness of our artistic scene and its major historical evolutions.

Laurent Dumas started collecting art over two decades ago. Throughout the years, he has shifted his focus increasingly on the French scene, particularly that which showcases the renewed vibrancy of pictorial and plastic practices – especially figurative – fostered by several decades of conceptual art and relational aesthetics, but which nonetheless reconnect with the process of depicting of the world or, rather, of reinventing singular worlds. His collection, which features a wealth of monumental formats, has now become the collection of reference for anyone seeking to understand the evolutions of art in France in the past thirty years.

It provides us with an archaeological perspective, going back to the 1960s, which saw art adapting to the new zeitgeist of a society dominated by mass media; then through to the 1980s and ‘90s, by which point painting and sculpture were considered to have become obsolete if not for artists such as Jean-Michel Alberola, Erik Dietman, Fabrice Hyber, Annette Messager or Jean-Pierre Pincemin breathing new life into them, removed from the infighting and progressive teleologies that had prevailed over prior decades, but also far from the false spontaneity that had surrounded the commercial success of international neo-expressionism. The collection comprises major groups of artists who left a mark on the first decades of the new century in France: Adel Abdessemed, Dove Allouche, Nina Childress, Hélène Delprat, Damien Deroubaix, as well as Bruno Perramant, Georges Tony Stoll, and Claire Tabouret.

The French scene on display in this collection isn’t closed in on itself, as it too often appeared to be previously. It includes foreign artists working in France, such as Ulla von Brandenburg and Thomas Hirschhorn. It is constantly updated thanks to the addition of young artists, from whom Laurent Dumas has always sought to acquire large groups of works early on in their careers and whom he has supported since 2014 with the creation of the Bourse Révélations Émerige [Émerige New Talent Grant]. Ensembles of works by Paul Mignard and Edgar Sarin are a testament to the collector’s visionary dedication.

The influence and diusion of this French scene and its dialogue with international artists is what lies at the heart of Laurent Dumas and Emerige’s ambitious project, which includes the upcoming inauguration of the Centre d’art à la Pointe des Arts Ile Seguin in Boulogne-Billancourt (92) in 2026.

Laurent Dumas’ collection wasn’t conceived to be a mere sampler meant to give an exhaustive but cursory overview of current trends. On the contrary, he selects each of the pieces according to a highly subjective process, following his heart rather than through objective reasoning. This explains why, while it does represent a certain context and history, it is also incredibly specific. Rather than conform to the middle-of-the-road values traditionally associated with the “French spirit”, it chooses to emphasise humour, derision, extravagance, obsession and left-field approaches… As many ways of renewing the way we look at the world – both the world that surrounds and shapes us and the inner worlds that live within us.

Curator : Éric de Chassey

Image : Assan Smati, Parade (détail), 2015, huile sur toile. Courtesy de l'artiste © Adagp, Paris, 2024. Photo : Tobias Brackmann

Artists

With Adel Abdessemed, Jean-Michel Alberola, Dove Allouche, Arman, Kader Attia, Renaud Auguste-Dormeuil, Romain Bernini, Christian Boltanski, Christian Bonnefoi, Nina Childress, Hélène Delprat, Raphaël Denis, Damien Deroubaix, Erik Dietman, Elliot Dubail, Loris Gréaud, Raymond Hains, Thomas Hirschhorn, Fabrice Hyber, Alain Jacquet, Dora Jeridi, Annette Messager, Paul Mignard, Celia Muller, Bruno Perramant, Kiki Picasso, Loulou Picasso, Jean-Pierre Pincemin, Edgar Sarin, Anne-Marie Schneider, Assan Smati, Daniel Spoerri, Georges Tony Stoll, Claire Tabouret, Djamel Tatah, Agnès Thurnauer, Barthélémy Toguo, Tatiana Trouvé, Ulla von Brandenburg, Rayan Yasmineh.