Located near Nice in the south of France, the Maeght Foundation was established by gallerist Aimé Maeght and his wife Marguerite in 1964, when French culture minister André Malraux presided over its opening. It’s the largest and most prestigious European modern art collection of its kind: 52 sculptures by Giacometti, over 15,000 works on paper, and hundreds of major pieces by Miró, Bonnard, Braque, Chagall, Léger, Kandinsky, Calder, and others.

Isabelle Maeght, the granddaughter of Aimé Maeght and head of the Galerie Maeght, once directed the foundation and today sits on its board. She talked to ARTINFO France about the current exhibition of works by the French artist Gérard Gasiorowski, the foundation’s history of helping artists, and its plans for the future under director Olivier Kaeppelin, who joined the foundation a year ago after leaving Paris’s Palais de Tokyo.

What is the connection between Gasiorowski and the Maeght Foundation?

The Galerie Maeght was the only gallery that stood by Gasiorowski and let him stay free, to have access to comfortable working conditions, to set up exhibitions, to publish books, posters, prints. Since it was established, the gallery has always handled logistics in a permanent dialogue with artists and freed them from certain difficulties. He was under a contract like all the Maeght artists, like Chagall, Braque, Calder, and Miró.

Do you remember him personally?

He was both difficult and delectable, a very special personality, every inch an artist and extremely sensitive. We thought of doing this solo exhibition because it seemed normal to us to pay homage to an artist of this quality, who was also a friend of my father Adrien. The 1995 show at the Pompidou Center was quite different, because it contained over 400 works. The Maeght Foundation show presents part of his oeuvre, with about 100 works — this exhibition is devoted to Gasiorowski’s painting.

Gasiorowski was quite visionary for his time, but he died just before the huge changes in Europe at the end of the 1980s. Did the art world change significantly in the second half of the 20th century? Is there a break between modern and contemporary art?

Miró said, “modern art has been declining ever since the Lascaux caves.” In other words, art history puts everything in its proper place. When Gasiorowski joined our gallery, people said, “the Maeghts are crazy.” But what an output — yet again, the proof is that time puts everything in perspective.

No, there isn’t any break. It’s simply that collectors and museums are a bit cautious about this question. There is continuity. If you take Anthony Caro, for example, his work follows directly from Miró's. And wasn’t Miró 25 years ahead of his time, especially when he created costumes for La Claca [a Catalan theater company] that were inspired by [Alfred Jarry’s play] “Ubu Roi”?

What has changed today is the fact that artists show all over the world and collectors have very quick access thanks to the Internet and art fairs. The artist is no longer holed up in his studio. Forty or fifty years ago, people knew of certain great artists but had a very limited view of the art world — they couldn’t know all the artists. The artist no longer has a unique relationship with his dealer or collector. He is caught up in the whirlwind of the contemporary world. And we’re always asking more of artists. At the Foundation and at the Galerie Maeght, on the other hand, we want to give artists time to create. For us an artist should work peacefully, without being invaded by everyday problems.

What is your most special memory of the Maeght Foundation?

I have so many! There is no single most special memory — each day brings a new possibility to share a passion. My memories include Miró, Calder, Giacometti, as well as Yan Pei Ming, Jacques Monory, Pier-Paolo Calzolari and other artists who come to the gallery or show there. But I’d say that I’m amazed every day, even though I know the Foundation by heart!

What would you think of an exhibition at the Foundation combining emerging artists and modern artists?

We have done such exhibitions. The themed exhibitions are often a chance to mix generations. When we had the show “Living Art in the United States,” Sol LeWitt was not known but he was part of that exhibition. Another example: César created his very first expansion [a sculpture made of poured polyurethane] at the Foundation. And Bernard Moninot was 28 when he had his first solo show at the Foundation [in 1979].

The Maeght Foundation employs its heritage, but it looks toward the future and is not at all stuck in its past. And the Foundation’s future is bright. We’re getting ready to celebrate our 50-year anniversary in 2014.

What is your role at the foundation these days?

I have been on the board since 1977 and I have always been a benefactor, even when I was the Foundation’s director. My mission can take on different forms: designing an exhibition, being present to receive a curator or collector, helping the director with various projects. I am lucky to know the Foundation from top to bottom and especially to know the collections, their fullness, and their variety. I am thrilled to participate in the Foundation’s outreach and, along with the director, to be in touch with museums and other places in France and abroad.

Does Olivier Kaeppelin’s appointment as director mark a renewal for the foundation?

Each director brings a renewal, brings his passion, his eye for modern or contemporary art, and always has the drive to move the foundation forward towards new projects. Olivier Kaeppelin combines knowledge of art history and of the history of the Foundation, but also has wide knowledge of artists with whom he has excellent relationships, which is essential, since the Foundation was created for and with artists.

The Maeght Foundation's Gérard Gasiorowski exhibition continues through September 26.

This article also appears on ARTINFO France.