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Antoine Le Clézio studied law, medieval art, and contemporary Asian art at university. He has published several academic papers and worked as a gallery manager for many years in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district of Paris.
Yan Le Clézio founded her own simultaneous interpretation studio in 2015 while still at university, serving clients including former French President N. Sarkozy and F. Hollande, as well as other diplomatic and political figures. In 2020, she co-founded an art curation company with a partner in Dubai, collaborating with museums in France, South Korea, China, and other countries to organize exhibitions.
Q1. As the art market serves as a barometer for economic development, with recent global economic and political upheavals, how do you view the future of the contemporary art market? Specifically, what is your perspective on France's positioning in this market?
Yan : The resilience of the art market stems from its close connection to cultural, technological, and social changes. While traditional art market powerhouses continue to dominate, emerging markets in regions such as Asia-Pacific and the Middle East are rapidly rising. Our philosophy is to bring renowned and emerging artists who have not yet been represented in galleries in France into this vibrant cultural environment, rich in artistic energy. By doing so, we aim to inject new cultural vitality and provide these artists with the opportunity to gain recognition on the international stage, thereby expanding their influence in the global art market.
Q2. Different regions cultivate unique cultures through their geographical spaces. As art is the most refined form of cultural expression, how do you identify values that can be understood across both European and Asian markets?
Yan: We begin with the content of the works. Take Finnish artist Elsa Salonen as an example. Her work explores the themes of life and death. When an organism dies, the first thing to fade is color. From the artist's perspective, color represents the vitality that can be passed down through generations, and it also symbolizes the soul. The artist observes deceased organisms in the forest and, through purification, separates color from matter and structure, visualizing the relationship between life and death: the body left behind in the world, and the enduring color and connections that symbolize life. In another work, We Are Made of Stars (Cygnus), she uses meteorite, iron powder, and stone dust to create the piece. These three materials are among the basic elements that make up planets, bringing the concept of "everything is interconnected" into the creation, which resonates with Buddhist philosophy’s reflections on matter and death. Perhaps due to the extreme climate in Northern Europe, there is a heightened sense of human insignificance in the face of nature, which leads to deeper contemplation of nature and the cycle of life and death. This perspective is less common in the French art scene but has a strong connection to Eastern culture, which similarly embraces a grand view of the relationship between humanity and nature.
III. Upholding Principles, Preserving Values
Q3. Could you discuss your criteria for selecting artists and artworks?
Yan : A gallery is both a business and an art space. When running the gallery, we adhere to six guiding principles: Ethics, Experimentation, Space, Technique, Medium, and Criticality. These six dimensions are not only key elements for art appreciation but also applicable to our organizational operations and market insights. For instance, the work of Estonian "national treasure" artist Jaan Toomik, featured in our first exhibition, is currently being exhibited at the Estonian Embassy in France. This exhibition is a collaboration between the embassy, the Estonian Contemporary Art Centre, and the largest private art museum in Estonia, the Viinistu Art Museum. Fifty percent of the proceeds from the sale of exhibition catalogues will be donated to the Ukrainian Emergency Art Fund. The painting "Untitled" that we are showcasing in our gallery was created against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war. For most of us, war is just a news story, but for those affected by geopolitical conflicts, war is part of their daily reality.
Achieving the Most Precious Gaze
People enter art spaces with different expectations and emotions. Le Clézio Gallery hopes that viewers will approach the artworks with the most genuine heart. Antoine Le Clézio and Yan Le Clézio, a deeply trusting couple, are also the best partners in highlighting the brilliance of the artists. As Heinz Kohut once said, "A deep affection without seduction, a firm resolve without hostility," managing a business is like managing a relationship, where gentleness is infused with persistence. Yan Le Clézio is profoundly moved by the philosopher and writer Tan Jia-zhe’s words: "The heart is strengthened by the foundation of inner morality and unwavering values. If it is swayed only by the transient forces of external judgment, it will ultimately lose its true essence." We hope that everyone who enters this space will continue to be immersed in an aesthetic environment rich with thought and stillness.
https://www.beauxarts.com/expos/5-expos-coups-de-coeur-a-admirer-en-galeries-a-paris/
https://www.artnewspaper.fr/2024/11/14/le-clezio-gallery-ouvre-a-paris
