In the legendary gallery owner and art dealer Yvon Lambert offered hundreds of major works by the cream of contemporary artists to the city of Avignon for the Collection Lambert. Click here to book a hotel in Avignon. Lambert had strong and specific tastes. He was drawn to minimalism and conceptualism and to American though not exclusively American art. Although he was based himself in Paris, he did not view that city as the centre of the international post-war art scene.
Many of their pieces were acquired at early stages in their careers. The Collection Lambert is one of the biggest holdings of modern art of this calibre in France, and one of the boldest. It was originally in Avignon on long-term loan.
In it became a permanent donanation. However there were strings attached to Lambert's gift. As many of the works are very large, they had to be kept in store most of the time for lack of space.
Instead the Collection was mainly renowned for its superb and ambitious temporary exhibitions. But it is now complete. We went along to take a look and it's mightily impressive. And much more from the Collection's permanent holdings are now on public display.
The two buildings are connected by what the architects describe as a little "chapel" - in fact it's a luminous white stairwell centred around a dramatic and beautiful swirling spiral staircase. The conversion has been designed to retain maximum flexibility, and a sense of contrasting atmospheres are you pass from space to space. The layout of the complex as a whole is maze-like and you feel yourself immersed and almost lost in the art.
