Mapping the studio: Artists from the François Pinault Collection

Press Release

“Mapping the Studio: Artists from the Francois Pinault Collection”—an exhibition curated
by Alison Gingeras and Francesco Bonami—will open simultaneously in the newly renovated
spaces of Punta della Dogana and at Palazzo Grassi. This exhibition signals the Francois Pinault
Foundation’s desire to develop an artistic program at the highest level and its long-lasting
commitment to contemporary culture in the city of Venice.

The curators have borrowed the show’s title from a seminal video work by Bruce Nauman in
which the artist recorded footage of his studio at night. Mapping the Studio allows us a glimpse
into this highly charged space where the creative process develops. The curators have proposed
an analogy between the creativity and intimacy of the artist’s studio and the collector’s deeply
individual and passionate vision of art.

Mapping the Studio takes this parallel as its starting point as it puts into dialogue the work of
established artists with a younger generation in order to capture the energy and creative tension
that animates many different approaches to art making. Through the curatorial process, the
exhibition follows the journey of each artwork from the artist’s universe into the context of a very focused private collection that is transforming itself into an international museum.

Transcending mediums, generations and national frontiers, this landmark show is installed in
the combined spaces of Punta della Dogana and Palazzo Grassi. The some 300 works that have
been selected create an expansive cartography of the Pinault Collection—reflecting its audacity,
generosity and originality. The show features uncontestable masterpieces of contemporary art by
artists strongly identified with the Pinault collection (Jeff Koons, sigmar Polke, Rudolf stingel,
Cindy sherman, Richard Prince, Cy twombly, Cady noland, Robert Gober, takashi Murakami,
Jake and Dinos Chapman to name but a few) that span the past 40 years and compose the
collection’s backbone. These icons are shown side-by-side with the work of emerging talents
(such as Matthew Day Jackson, Adel Abdessamed, Wilhelm sasnal, Rachel Harrison, Mark
Grotjahn, Richard Hughes, nate Lowman, Mark Bradford, Gelitin, Kai Althoff) and of artists 
who might have been overlooked on the international scene (such as Lee Lozano).
For this momentous occasion the Pinault Foundation confirms its strong tradition of patronage in
Venice by commissioning artists to create new site-specific works that will define the exceptional
nature of this renewed commitment to the city.

This potent mix of artists both defines the ambition and scope of the collection—creating 
an invigorating and challenging path that bridges each exhibited artists’ creative universe.
Mapping the Studio will open to the public on June 6th, 2009.