We interviewed Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres

French politician Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres was Minister of Culture and Communication from 2004 to 2007. He worked on the opening of the Louvre in Abu-Dhabi and on the restoration and reopening of the Grand Palais to the public. A great lover of contemporary art, he kindly agreed to answer Artsper’s questions and to give us his favourite work for sale on Artsper. Many thanks to him!

Artsper: What was the last exhibition that really made an impression on you?                    Anish Kapoor, during the 2011 edition of Monumenta, because he took over the glass roof of the Grand Palais with a magnificent power, in the image of the setting that received him and whose energy he transmitted masterfully.

A: Who would you most like to dine with in any discipline?
Olafur Eliasson, because his imagination and talent compel us to travel to unknown and sublime horizons.

A: The work of art you would have liked to have made?
One of Clifford Ross’s photographs from the “Hurricane” series where the beauty, strength and violence of the ocean bewitch and fascinate.

A: What is your best artistic memory as Minister of Culture?
The Patti Smith concert, at the Ministry in the Salon Jérôme, one evening without notice, and “Rue au Grand-Palais”, where urban cultures were genuinely welcomed, 500 m from the Elysée, one year after the violence in the suburbs…

A: An artistic event that you try never to miss?
A choreographic creation by Angelin Preljocaj, because he knows how to push dancers to the height of their talents.

A: Have you ever had a frustrating experience or a certain discomfort with contemporary art?
Frustration comes from the moment of magical resonance that one would like to last forever, uneasiness when the violence is no longer only cerebral but truly physical.