MAG The Women Gallery Founder Jean-Baptiste Bettencourt on Correcting Art's Gender Imbalance
Jean-Baptiste Bettencourt, former L'Oréal executive of nearly 37 years, founded MAG The Women Gallery in 2024 to address the underrepresentation of women artists in the art market. Inspired by his mother abandoning her art practice to support his father's, the online gallery exclusively features women artists across mediums and career stages. Bettencourt aims to challenge the statistic that women artists account for only 2% of global art sales. The gallery represents artists including Elizabeth Lennard, Claude Stassart-Springer, To Bich Hai, and Isabelle Debray. Bettencourt plans to participate in art fairs in Amsterdam, Paris, and Brussels to complement the digital platform with in-person engagement.
Key facts
- Jean-Baptiste Bettencourt worked at L'Oréal for nearly 37 years.
- MAG The Women Gallery was founded in 2024.
- The gallery is an online platform exclusively for women artists.
- Women artists account for only 2% of global art sales.
- Bettencourt's mother gave up her art practice to support his father's.
- Artists represented include Elizabeth Lennard, Claude Stassart-Springer, To Bich Hai, and Isabelle Debray.
- Elizabeth Lennard's work has been shown at the Louvre and Grand Palais.
- The gallery will participate in art fairs in Amsterdam, Paris, and Brussels.
Entities
Artists
- Jean-Baptiste Bettencourt
- Elizabeth Lennard
- Claude Stassart-Springer
- To Bich Hai
- Isabelle Debray
- Tô Bich Hai
Institutions
- MAG The Women Gallery
- L'Oréal
- Louvre
- Grand Palais
Locations
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Paris
- France
- Brussels
- Belgium