Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
French tycoon Francois Pinault was named Friday this year's most influential figure in contemporary art by ArtReview, the London-based specialist magazine.
For the first time since the magazine was launched five years ago, the person topping the list of the 100 most influential figures is "neither American nor British but French," ArtReview said in a statement.
"Francois Pinault is more commonly known as one of the most powerful figures in fashion, as majority shareholder of PPR, the company behind such fashion heavy-weight brands as Gucci, Bottega, Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen," it said.
"However it is because of his other identity as a major collector of contemporary art and as owner of the auction house Christie's that he figures at the top of this year's Power 100 list," it added.
John Weich, the magazine's editor in chief, said Pinault was second to none.
"It helps that Christie's has had an amazing year, but the tipping point this year was Palazzo Grassi in Venice," Weich said in the ArtReview statement.
"In just a year's time Pinault rapidly created a new museum of contemporary art in Venice to house his extraordinary collection," he wrote.
"Palazzo Grassi had political repercussions as well, being the latest blow to a French state that couldn't keep one of the most profound contemporary art collections in France."
Pinault originally wanted to establish a foundation for his collection in Paris on the Ile de Seguin, an island in the river Seine, but abandoned the project last year, impatient with administrative delays.
He then initiated renovation work on Venice's Palazzo Grassi to establish the foundation, which opened in April.
Works by some of the big names in late 20th-century art are on display at there, including American Minimalist sculptor Donald Judd, French installation and multimedia artist Pierre Huyghe, and Italy's Piero Manzoni.
On the Power 100 list were 40 Americans, 25 Britons, nine Germans, nine Swiss, seven French, three Chinese and three Italians amongst others.
The 2006 Power 100 top 10 (2005 positions in brackets):
1. Francois Pinault (3)
2. Larry Gagosian (2)
3. Nicholas Serota (4)
4. Glenn Lowry (5)
5. Sam Keller (7)
6. Eli Broad (6)
7. Charles Saatchi (19)
8. Matthew Slotover and Amanda Sharp (33)
9. Bruce Nauman (9)
10. Jeff Koons (62)
lc/rjm/ec
AFPEntertainment-Britain-France-culture-art
AFP 131806 GMT 10 06
COPYRIGHT 2006 Agence France-Presse. All rights reserved.
