The Chanel Fund for Women in the Arts and Culture honors Laure Prouvost
As the 58th Venice Biennale opened its doors to the public, everyone was talking about French artist Laure Prouvost. During the official preview days, the inauguration of the French Pavilion, curated by Martha Kirszenbaum, had already made a splash. Franck Riester, Minister of Culture, had made the trip, as had big names in the contemporary art world such as Jean Pigozzi, Jérôme Sans, Hans-Ulrich Obrist, André Magnin, and Nathalie Obadia (whose gallery represents the French artist). Laure Prouvost’s “Deep see blue surrounding you / Vois ce bleu profond te fondre” was produced with the support of the CHANEL Fund for Women in the Arts and Culture, a major sponsor of the French Pavilion. Martha Kirszenbaum organized a large dinner in the cloister of the Chiesetta della Misericordia in honor of the artist, on what also happened to be her birthday. The event brought together artists Sophie Calle, Camille Henrot, Xavier Veilhan and Eva Jospin, plus journalist Hamish Bowles and President of the Centre Pompidou Serge Lasvignes. Once night fell, Flavien Berger took to the stage for an open-air concert. It was definitively a Venetian highlight.
