In the company of Jeffrey Deitch (ex-director of MoCA in Los Angeles) and Massimiliano Gioni (artistic director of the New Museum in New York) the founder of the clothing brand Aïshti presented the details of his Jal el Dib museum at the Grand Palais to around 100 guests including Jennifer Flay and Kamel Mennour.
The Fondation Aïshti building, which has been designed by British architect David Adjaye - who has recently been named for the redesign of the Studio Museum in Harlem - is estimated to cost around $100 million. The 20,000m2 complex - 16,000 of which is dedicated to luxury and high-street stores, and 4,000 for contemporary and education - will be comprised of a commercial gallery, restaurants, a spa and an outdoor pool.
Salamé began collecting around 15 years ago, having become particularly enamoured with Arte Povera works by artists including Lucio Fontana, Alberto Burri, Giuseppe Penone and Michelangelo Pistoletto, before turning his focus to contemporary stars including Tony Cragg and Julian Schnabel. He has since become interested in Lebanese artists, acquiring pieces by Mona Hatoum and Walid Raad. His collection currently stands at over 2,000 pieces.
The inaugural exhibition curated by Massimiliano Gioni is to be entitled “New Skin” and will feature around 50 artists including Christopher Wool, Gerhard Richter, Franz West, Richard Prince, Wade Guyton, Danh Vo and Carol Bove, alongside Lebanese artists including Walid Raad and Akram Zaatari who represented Lebanon at the 2013 Venice Biennale.
Salamé, who is also behind the Beirut Art Fair, has grand ambitions for Lebanon’s cultural landscape in the near future, telling French publication Nouvel Économiste “This foundation will change the way that the Lebanese view culture,” continuing, “me and my wife, we are trend setters. People trust in our tastes and choices, they think that we can see trends in advance, and they trust that it’s the same for our choice of art.”
