Aimé Maeght - Fantasy

Here is an excerpt from my book where all the fantasy of my grandfather Aimé Maeght, is honored.
In the photo here he is with Georges Pompidou, then President of the Republic, accompanied by his wife Claude, during an official visit to the Maeght Foundation.


"I often drop in unannounced. I learn from my grandfather. I like to isolate myself with him in his library, he lets me leaf through his beautiful books, shows me his latest discoveries - the greatest bibliophiles would lose their heads in front of such treasures. He lets me listen to records received from the four corners of the world, comments on the press for me... At nearly seventy years old, he collects video works. He is interested in all forms of art, in the modernity of tomorrow. Installed on the sofas designed by Charlotte Perriand, we talk for hours. He questions me with interest about my tastes, my preferences, the reactions of my friends of my age to this or that trend.
Every day, he feeds my mind and forges my vision. He only talks to me about beauty, aesthetics, balance, style, always about beautiful things. Sometimes we escape and he guides me to a museum, takes me on a tour of the construction site of the future Centre Georges Pompidou, which will open thirteen years after the Maeght Foundation... It is on the model of the Maeght Foundation that the Centre Pompidou will bring together permanent collections and temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, music, with the IRCAM, live performance, library, reception of artists in studios, all in an ultra-contemporary building. But while I am resolutely against its construction in the middle of Paris, Grandpa applauds its implementation. "No nostalgia, it is precisely in the heart of this historic district that the most innovative art must assert itself. Go back to live in a hut in Lutetia if you are not happy! "he says to me. More than fifty years separate us and it is however him the youngest of spirit.
With him, everything is subject to heated conversation: what is the role of the State, what is a collector, are galleries necessary for artists, are artists manageable, should they be given media coverage? He is never caught off guard because he is constantly asking questions about his time. He is enthusiastic about so many things. More than his passions, he transmits to me THE passion."
 
The book La Saga Maeght by Yoyo Maeght, with dedication. Link here