Maurice A. Amon is once again making waves in the art world. For the first time in France, one of the exhibition rooms of an arts museum will be named after a patron.
In return for a substantial donation, the businessman and world-renowned art collector succeeded in renaming the museum’s ‘room number 1’ after his father’s name: Albert Amon.
A tribute to his father
Explaining the choice behind this innovative initiative, Amon stated: “It was my father who gave me a taste for art and the taste for France and Paris… I succeeded in convincing the committee to develop a concept that exists in America: to give a certain sum of money to renovate rooms. We later created a program at the Museum of Modern Art and I offered to sponsor the largest room.” This type of patronage is indeed extremely common in the United Kingdom and the United States, but until now had never been seen in France. It is true that a growing number of companies are investing in the art world and creating their own art spaces in and out of Paris, however donations from private collectors for the public cultural institutions are still lacking. Amon’s wish behind this bold move is not only to promote a more active type of patronage for the arts in France but also to encourage others to follow this path that will support upcoming artists and put culture center stage. Naming the central room of the museum after his father is the tribute Maurice A. Amon had always wished to offer to the man who introduced him to the arts.
Molded to bring change
Today, in part due to his early exposure to the arts, Maurice A. Amon has built an impressive collection with pieces from the world’s most prominent artists and has set his sights on modern art. He created the Maurice Amon Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting artistic patronage and educational projects in developing countries. Maurice Amon’s need to disrupt the status quo and leave a mark certainly stems from his childhood. From an early age, the young Amon was immersed into the family business, SICPA, founded by his grandfather in 1927. Originally in the agricultural, food and veterinary products sector, the company became a world leader after developing a secure ink for banknotes and partnering with governments around the world.
Traveling around the world for the family business and his passion for art not only expanded his horizons but also introduced him to new ways of involving oneself in the art world.
Disrupting the status quo in the art world one event at a time
Before his latest initiative at the Museum of Modern Art, Maurice A. Amon supported the San Art Laboratory, an artistic residency program in Ho-Chi-Minh City and later participated in the Elevation 1049, in situ artistic experience events in Gstaad in partnership with LUMA foundation. Expanding his artistic patronage initiatives in other parts of the world was of course in line with his previous projects and Paris seemed like the perfect choice to make a bold move.
Maurice Amon waited until 2017 to become the first patron of art to name a room of Paris’ Museum of Modern Art through the Maurice Amon Foundation. This ten-year partnership is, according to Amon, the first of many patronage initiatives in France. So, on your next visit to the Museum of Modern Art of Paris, stop by its largest room, admire the arts and look for the name of one of the father of one of the art world’s disruptors.