INTERVIEW
grown favouring its intimate spirit, gradually
introducing some larger galleries.
All this happened in the wake and in synergy
with artgenève. The NMNM Director,
Marie-Claude Beaud, has graciously introduced
me to art-montecarlo’s director,
Thomas Hug... we have thus been working
together.
A work by
Koen Van Den
Broek above
«Puppy» by
Jeff Koons
HM: You are an experienced collector. How
many works of art do you own and what are
your latest favourites?
Safia El Malqui: My collection counts 780
pieces. Every two years I am replacing the art
displayed in my frames. One of these walls
actually reflects my double origin. My mother
is Belgian, my father — Algerian. A mirror
and cardboard collage by an Algerian plastic
artist Kader Attia is thus rubbing shoulders
with a superb polyvinyl composition by a
Belgian Walter Leblanc. I regularly invest in
young artists, particularly into women creators
who are taking an increasingly important
place in contemporary art. Rachel de
Joode, Camille Henrot, Tatiana Wolska, Victoria
Wilmotte are thus displayed next to Jeff
Koons, Wim Delvoye, Damien Hirst and Jean
Pierre Raynaud.
HM: Where did your passion for art start
from?
Safia El Malqui: My first revelation dates
back to when I was 10. My parents loved traveling
by car which took us one day to the
Château d’Amboise. Leonardo da Vinci’s last
home, Clos Lucé, thus introduced me to his
artistic and scientific genius. I was dazzled
by it! Later, at the age of 19, I acquired my
first work of art, a lithograph by Gauguin,
later displayed in my little Bruges apartment.
I loved Gauguin, his colours, shapes, his very
feminine contours…
Then my tastes obviously changed. I own
drawings by Picasso and Matisse and some
works by Chagall. My collection, however, is
A set of 5 pumpkins by Yayoi Kusama
Matsumoto
essentially dedicated to the art of the 1960s
to the present day. I ultimately became interested
in minimalism and design with a particular
focus on the Israeli artist, Ron Arad.
I am happy to have been able to organize
rare and successful exhibitions
of contemporary art in Monaco.
HM: You exhibited him at Sem’Art. By the
way, what’s the latest with your new gallery
or foundation project in Monaco?
Safia El Malqui: I was a little too early but
I am happy to have been able to organize
rare and successful exhibitions of contemporary
art in Monaco. Over the five years,
my gallery has welcomed some major
French, Belgian, Russian and Iranian artists.
A view of the living room
Our exhibition of the Russian duo, Vladimir
Dubossarskiy and Alexandre Vinogradov,
has been a remarkable event.
For the time being, I prefer devoting myself
to art fairs. At the same time, I do own
a Sem’Art art consulting company. As to
the foundation, it would require a large
space which is hard to find in the Principality.
HM: You are a mother of
two. Have you sown the
right seeds in your children
and are they sensitive to art?
Safia El Malqui: My son is studying business
management in Barcelona. He has
just given me his walls dimensions so that
I could send him some works of art. As to
my daughter, she is studying art history in
London. Lately she has been a regular art
exhibitions visitor on her own initiative,
whether I am present there or not. My succession
is therefore assured.
10 metal pots signed
by Jean Pierre Raynaud
A special detail from a work by the
Campana Brothers with a piece by
André Barelier in the background
Hello Monaco Spring–Summer 2020 / 83
www.hellomonaco.ru