MAC/VAL Director Alexia Fabre on the Museum's Utopian Origins and Evolving Collection

Alexia Fabre, director of MAC/VAL since 1998, traces the museum's history from its origins as a departmental contemporary art fund in the early 1980s to its current identity. The collection was initially built by critic Raoul-Jean Moulin, who purchased works by artists he admired, creating an 'elective collection' focused on French art. Fabre shifted the focus to contemporary French art with an international dimension, filling gaps in movements like Nouveau Réalisme and Support/Surfaces. The museum, located in Vitry-sur-Seine, was a political project by Michel Germa, designed to serve a local audience distant from Paris. Its architecture by Jacques Ripault and Denise Duhart includes a white box and glass structure. Fabre emphasizes thematic hangings over chronological ones, often inviting artists like Alain Bublex and Annette Messager to reinterpret the collection. The museum's cultural programming, including the performance cycle 'Under the Influence,' is tightly integrated with exhibitions. Fabre defends the role of art criticism within the museum, noting that the collection was founded by a critic and that the museum publishes critical texts. The museum also runs residencies for international artists, often in partnership with the Institut Français.