Courtesy Palazzo Grassi, Venice

Lee Lozano, "No Title" (ca. 1963). Crayon and graphite on paper. 17 1/2 x 22 1/2 in.

Courtesy Palazzo Grassi, Venice

Paul McCarthy "Bear and Rabbit on a Rock" (1992). Mascot heads, acrylic fur, metal armature, foam rubber, Formica pedestal, 106 1/2 x 75 x 51 1/2 in.

Mark Rothko Jeff Koons Mike Kelley Sigmar Polke Robert Gober Tadao Ando Felix Gonzalez-Torres Cady Noland

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FB: I wouldn’t say that, but it is his collection. It’s a conversation — that’s how the thing comes alive. It has to have a point of view, because otherwise it would be just another show.

MD: The Biennale opens at the same time. Do you feel like you’ll be competing?

AG: It’s a natural time to open, and it’s the moment to reach the artworld audience. The show is also kind of a great foil to the Biennale, and I think the Venetians understand that intuitively. They have the Biennale, which takes the temperature of the moment, and the Pinault Collection, which has a certain consistency.

MD: Does Pinault see himself as more than just a collector — as a kind of patron?

AG: I don’t know if François sees himself as a patron, though certain artists might think of him that way. He has made it possible for some artists to do some ambitious projects. %E2%9C%A6

"Mapping the Studio: Works from the Pinault Collection," at the Palazzo Grassi and the Punta della Dogana in Venice, opens on June 6.

"New Medici" originally appeared in the May 2009 issue of Modern Painters. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Modern Painters' May 2009 Table of Contents.