{{Short description|French collector of contemporary art}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Philippe Méaille | image = Philippe Méaille.jpg | caption = Philippe Méaille in 2017 | birth_name = Philippe Méaille | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1973|4|27|df=yes}} | birth_place = Enghien-les-Bains, France | alma_mater = Paris Descartes University | occupation = President of Château de Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Art }}
'''Philippe Méaille''' ({{IPA|fr|filip meaj}}; born 27 April 1973) is a French author and art collector, and the founder and president of the Château de Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Art.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.artmarketmonitor.com/2014/09/22/everybody-talks-about-collecting-with-their-eyes-not-their-ears-few-do-it-like-philippe-meaille/|title=Everybody Talks About Collecting with Their Eyes, Not Their Ears; Few Do It Like Philippe Meaille|date=22 September 2014|work=Art Market Monitor|access-date=2018-01-30|archive-date=19 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819150653/http://www.artmarketmonitor.com/2014/09/22/everybody-talks-about-collecting-with-their-eyes-not-their-ears-few-do-it-like-philippe-meaille/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.connaissancedesarts.com/art-contemporain/philippe-meaille-installe-sa-collection-au-chateau-de-montsoreau-1126444/|title=Philippe Méaille installe sa collection au château de Montsoreau {{!}} Connaissance des Arts|work=Connaissance des Arts}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-collector-turned-15th-century-french-castle-contemporary-art-destination|title=The Collector Who Turned a 15th-Century French Castle into a Contemporary Art Destination|last=Chernick|first=Karen|date=20 September 2019|website=Artsy|access-date=2019-10-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mutualart.com/Article/Combining-Past--Present-and-Future--The-/DCC6DC54DE5810EF|title=Combining Past, Present and Future: The Contemporary Art Museum at Château de Montsoreau|website=Mutual Art}}</ref> Currently, Méaille owns the world's largest collection of Art & Language works.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.artnet.com/market/art-language-philippe-meaille-french-chateau-310458|title=Largest Collection of Radical Conceptualists Art & Language Finds a Home in French Chateau|website=Artnet|date=23 June 2015 }}</ref>
== Career == After graduating from the Lycée Vauban in Pontoise, Méaille was admitted to Paris Descartes University where he studied Pharmacy. Méaille began his art collection when he arrived in Paris as a student.
In 1994, Méaille began to build connections with Art & Language artists, including gallerist Eric Fabre.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.artpress.com/2006/06/01/art-language-chateau-de-la-bainerie-tierce-ecole-regionale-des-beaux-arts-nantes-11-mars-8-avril-2006/|title=Art & Language : Château de la Bainerie, Tiercé ; Ecole régionale des beaux-arts, Nantes, 11 mars – 8 avril 2006|work=Art Press}}</ref> Méaille acquired a large number of works from the Swiss Rothschild Bank in 1996. These works had been purchased from the Swiss gallerist Bruno Bischofberger, in 1972.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/expo-chicago-to-show-little-seen-art-language-works/|title=Expo Chicago to show little-seen Art + Language works|work=Chicago Sun-Times}}</ref><blockquote>When I was 20 or 21, I bought a work of Art & Language of 1965 called ''Mirror Piece'' and installed it in my apartment in Paris. After two or three days, I felt sad and stupid because I understood the limit imposed if these works were kept private. They would be like a discussion that was kept secret. Therefore I felt a responsibility to make this collection accessible to the widest possible public – ''The Private Museum of the Future'', Cristina Bechtler interview with Philippe Méaille, 2016.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Private Museum of the Future |last=Dercon |first=Chris |publisher= JRP Ringier|year=2018 |isbn=978-3-03764-520-8 |location=Zurich |pages=99–100}}</ref></blockquote> Méaille, has since assembled the world's largest collection of Art & Language works.
In 2000, Méaille installed his collection in the Château de la Bainerie, a former summer camp of the city of Argenteuil.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Collections Particulières|last=Candet|first=Nadia|year=2008 |publisher=Flammarion |isbn=978-2081214651}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.argenteuil.fr/reportage/24/4-promenons-nous-dans-le-patrimoine-l-age-d-or-des-colonies-de-vacances.htm|title=Promenons nous dans le patrimoine : l'âge d'or des colonies de vacances|website=Mairie d'Argenteuil|access-date=13 December 2017|archive-date=28 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028043437/http://www.argenteuil.fr/reportage/24/4-promenons-nous-dans-le-patrimoine-l-age-d-or-des-colonies-de-vacances.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The collection of Art & Language works was spread throughout the 50,000 square foot area of the château.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lexpress.fr/region/tierc-eacute-rencontre-avec-un-collectionneur_476261.html|title=Tiercé: rencontre avec un collectionneur|last=Sultan|first=Mylène|date=28 June 2007|work=L'Express|language=fr|access-date=5 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.marieclaire.it/Casa/case-arredamento/Chateau-d-avanguardia#1|title=Château d'avanguardia : Benvenuti a Tiercé, mélange perfetto tra arte e design|work=Marie Claire Maison|access-date=13 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028043451/http://www.marieclaire.it/Casa/case-arredamento/Chateau-d-avanguardia#1|archive-date=28 October 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2006, Méaille organized a public exhibition with Nantes school of Beaux-arts. In 2011, Méaille announced a long-term loan of 800 works of Art & Language to the MACBA.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://elpais.com/ccaa/2015/03/04/catalunya/1425502846_857987.html|title=Philippe Méaille dona al Macba seis obras del colectivo Art & Language|work=EL PAÍS}}</ref> In 2014, Jill Silverman van Coenegrachts became the curator of Méaille's collection.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lejournaldesarts.fr/site/archives/docs_article/122015/une-experte-de-christie-s-france-a-la-tete-la-fiac-los-angeles.php|title=Une experte de Christie's France à la tête la FIAC Los Angeles|work=Le Journal des arts}}</ref>
In 2014, the MACBA organized a major retrospective of the group Art & Language, which was titled ''Art & Language uncompleted: The Philippe Méaille Collection.'' The retrospective contained works which were loaned by Méaille.
In 2015, Méaille signed a 25-year lease for the Château de Montsoreau, a castle located in the Loire valley.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hyperallergic.com/522074/chateau-de-montsoreau-museum-of-contemporary-art-art-and-language/|title=A Historic Conceptual Art Group Has Taken Over a French Château|date=14 October 2019|website=Hyperallergic|access-date=2019-10-23}}</ref> That same year, Méaille founded the Château de Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Art, where approximately 80 works of his collection are permanently exhibited.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/de-lart-contemporain-au-chateau-de-montsoreau-3503626|title=De l'art contemporain au château de Montsoreau|website=ouest-france.fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thriveglobal.com/stories/philippe-meaille-it-is-time-we-take-responsibility-and-repair-the-climate-and-the-planet-this-is-what-i-call-prospective-ecology/|title=Philippe Méaille: "It is time we take responsibility and repair the climate and the planet. This is what I call prospective ecology" – Thrive Global|website=thriveglobal.com|access-date=2019-10-23|archive-date=23 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023110522/https://thriveglobal.com/stories/philippe-meaille-it-is-time-we-take-responsibility-and-repair-the-climate-and-the-planet-this-is-what-i-call-prospective-ecology/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 2017, Méaille decided not to renew his lease with the MACBA, and instead decided to repatriate his entire collection to the Château de Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Art. Méaille stated that the main reason for this decision was the political instability in Catalonia.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/arts/article/2017/10/18/la-crise-catalane-fait-fuir-les-collectionneurs_5202461_1655012.html|title=La crise catalane fait fuir les collectionneurs|work=Le Monde.fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lci.fr/international/video-crise-politique-en-catalogne-un-collectionneur-d-art-rapatrie-sa-collection-en-france-2071762.html|title=Crise politique en Catalogne : un collectionneur d'art rapatrie sa collection en France|work=LCI}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/french-collector-philippe-meaille-withdraws-works-on-long-term-loan-from-macba-due-to-political-instability-1113896|title=Fearing Political Instability After the Catalonia Referendum, a Collector Withdraws Loans From MACBA|work=artnet News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.artforum.com/news/id=71621|title=French Collector Pulls Loans from MACBA After Catalonia Referendum|work=artforum.com|access-date=2018-01-30|archive-date=16 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116193443/https://www.artforum.com/news/id=71621|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20171013/432022865838/macba-lamenta-decision-de-philippe-meaille-de-no-renovar-deposito-de-obras.html|title=MACBA lamenta la decisión de Philippe Méaille de no renovar depósito de obras|work=La Vangardia}}</ref>
== Books == * {{Cite book|title=Made in Zurich – Selected Editions – 1965–1972 Art & Language|last=Silverman van Coenegrachts|first=Jill|year=2014|isbn=978-3-00-047269-5|location=Paris}} * {{Cite book|title=Art & language uncompleted : the Philippe Méaille Collection|last=Guerra|first=Carles|publisher=Museu d'Art Contemporani Barcelona|year=2014|isbn=978-84-92505-52-4|location=Barcelona|pages=264}} * {{Cite book|title=Art & language Reality (Dark) Fragments (Light) Philippe Méaille Collection|last=Matthew Jesse|first=Jackson|publisher=Château de Montsoreau-Museum of contemporary Art|year=2018|isbn=978-2955-791721|location=Montsoreau|pages=176}} * {{Cite book|title=The Private Museum of the Future|last=Chris|first=Dercon|publisher=JRP Ringier|year=2018|isbn=978-3037645208|location=Zurich|pages=214}}
== References == {{reflist}}
{{Portal|visual arts}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meaille, Philippe}} Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century art collectors Category:21st-century art collectors Category:French art collectors Category:Directors of museums in France Category:French art curators Category:Museum founders Category:Art & Language Category:People from Enghien-les-Bains