PARIS, FRANCE.- The George Pompidou Center presents The Painters of Modern Day Life - A Collection of Photographs Donated by The Caisse Des Depots, on view through November 27, 2006. Thanks to a donation by the Caisse des Dépôts, new works by Thomas Struth, Andreas Gursky, Thomas Ruff, Martin Parr, Thomas Demand, Valérie Jouve, Eric Poitevin and Sophie Ristelhueber have been incorporated into the national collection. This has considerably boosted the Centre Pompidou’s collection of photographs, which now comprises nearly 700 additionnal works, with an estimated value of 2.3 million euros, by more than 200 artists from both France and abroad, most of whom appear in the collection for the first time.

This ensemble, striking in both quality and quantity, is the subject of an important exhibition, planned around three main themes – the representation of power, the social and political aspects of the world and fiction and illusion. Begun towards the end of the ‘80s, the Caisse des Dépôts’ collection illustrates the diverse praxis in contemporary art photography and, for the most part, comprises work by young artists. The exhibition, set up around a central nucleus, aims to bring to the fore the main lines around which the collection was built up through direct purchase, or equally through commissions and even production aid.

The exhibition is set out in three parts: after entering a room reminiscent of the company’s reception area, immediately setting the scene of the institution (Knorr, Struth); the visitor is first led into a room dedicated to images and symbols of power (Gronon, Gursky, Mason, Muntadas and Closky) conjuring up the idea of the board of directors. The second part represents the world in its socio-political aspect (Garnell, Owens, Parr and Vitali) and reflects one of the fundamental tasks of the Caisse des Dépôts, being that of land development. Finally, the topics of fiction and illusion (Crewdson, Demand, Fischli & Weiss, Gobert and Muniz), which were very present in art photography during the 90s, are evoked in the last, darker and more intimate part of the exhibition.

Linking the three spaces is the central hall, the real heart of the exhibition, that displays the “reserve” densely hung from floor to ceiling; this is an exhibition within the exhibition suggesting all the exhibition possibilities of the collection. Niek van de Steeg’s work commissioned by the Caisse des Dépôts also brings up the issue, all too rarely tackled by museums, of existing links between the worlds of art and finance. In an entertaining manner, it brings into question the whole idea of business collections as well as the variety of art sponsorship action carried out by the Caisse des Dépôts.