Contemporary art is one of the major pillars of Société Générale Group’s cultural sponsorship policy (contemporary art and classical music). Originally conceived in 1995 as a strong commitment to employees to immerse art at the heart of the company, the Société Générale collection today represents one of the most significant collections of contemporary art assembled by a bank and a benchmark player in artistic sponsorship in France.
Rich with more than 300 original works and 700 lithographs, the collection supports contemporary creation through a sustainable and dynamic acquisition policy, commissioning works from artists and regularly involving independent curators.
It fosters talent within the company and develops team spirit through initiatives like Art Day, the Photography contest, artistic conferences for employees, and, since this year, the opening of the acquisition committee to group employees.
As part of a moving world, the collection has been interested in emerging scenes for several years and notably launched the first “Chinese Art Awards” in 2010 to promote young Asian talents.
In a spirit of openness, Société Générale is also intensifying its actions towards the public (publishing a book, “outside the walls” exhibitions, partnership with Fiac, access to the collection for schools…) and aims to share its passion for contemporary art with as many people as possible.
For the exhibition “Urban Mythologies,” the MAMAC in Nice presents a selection of photographs from the Société Générale collection.
The Museum chose this collection for its coherence, which provides a forward-looking and comprehensive vision of the international photographic scene, and for the museum-like dimensions—both physical and aesthetic—of these photographs.
The exhibition addresses the theme of the urban landscape, the interaction between architecture and nature, the confrontation between the old and the modern, memory, and the imaginary.
Thus, through the exhibition’s journey, the public can discover works by Kader Attia, Gilles Barbier, Eric Baudelaire, Marie Bovo, Alain Bublex, Victor Brugin, Edward Burtynsky, Stéphane Couturier, Luo Dan, Danica Dakic, Francesco Jodice, Xiang Liqing, Mathieu Pernot, Philippe Ramette, Georges Rousse, Thomas Ruff, Vivan Sundaram, and Matej Andraz Vogrincic.
