MO.CO curator Vincent Honoré's suicide ruled workplace accident
The Caisse primaire d'assurances maladie has classified the November 2023 suicide of curator Vincent Honoré as a 'workplace accident' following a three-month inquiry, which could lead to criminal charges against MO.CO Montpellier. The CFDT union's call for an internal investigation was denied, prompting Honoré's family to demand a public inquiry. Reports indicated that Honoré, who was 48 at the time of his death, felt 'trapped' and perceived a 'hidden demotion.' His impressive career included positions at Palais de Tokyo, Tate Modern, and as the founding director of DRAF. He began working at MO.CO in 2019, where controversies emerged after Numa Hambursin took over from Nicolas Bourriaud in 2021. MO.CO later condemned media coverage as 'unbearable exploitation.'
Key facts
- Vincent Honoré's suicide in November 2023 ruled a 'workplace accident' by French agency Caisse primaire d'assurances maladie
- Ruling opens MO.CO Montpellier to potential criminal prosecution
- CFDT union's internal investigation request rejected; family filed for public investigation
- Messages cited where Honoré felt 'trapped' and believed he had a 'hidden demotion' a week before death
- Honoré was head of exhibitions at MO.CO at time of death, aged 48
- Nicolas Bourriaud removed as MO.CO founding director in 2021, replaced by Numa Hambursin
- Hambursin's appointment received 12 of 19 votes, protested by art students and local professionals
- MO.CO statement on June 10 rejects claims of undervaluing Honoré, cites pay raises and exhibition statistics
Entities
Artists
- Vincent Honoré
- Carol Bove
- Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster
- Pierre Huyghe
- Hans Haacke
- Huma Bhabha
- Nicolas Bourriaud
- Numa Hambursin
- Michaël Delafosse
- François Hollande
Institutions
- MO.CO Montpellier
- Caisse primaire d'assurances maladie
- CFDT
- Palais de Tokyo
- Tate Modern
- DRAF (David Roberts Art Foundation)
- Baltic Triennial
- Kosovo Pavilion
- Venice Biennale
- Museums in Exile
Locations
- Montpellier
- France
- Paris
- London
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- United States