Lens, Switzerland: It seems an unlikely place to find the fascinating work of Emily Kam Kngwarray, Clifford Possum or Sally Gabori.
Located next to a sparkling man-made lake in the Swiss Alps is a gallery that is quietly reshaping the landscape of contemporary art in Europe. But it’s not just the architecture – a bright, elegant complex recently expanded to house artist residencies, a library and exhibition halls – that makes this place extraordinary.
Franco-Swiss philanthropist and art collector Bérengère Primat visits artists in the APY Lands in 2021.Credit: APY Collective Art Center
Just a few hours’ drive from Geneva, in a remote corner of Valais, the center has become a cultural bridge between Australia’s best First Nations artists and European audiences.
At the center is French-born, Switzerland-based collector Bérengère Primat, who speaks not with the voice of a gallerist or an art investor, but as someone gently compelled to do something much bigger than herself. “It was never a hobby,” he says. “It’s an obsession.”
What began as a visceral connection with Indigenous Australian paintings in a Paris gallery two decades ago has become one of the largest and most important private collections of contemporary Aboriginal art in the world.
“I remember entering that space and being instantly captivated: the works radiated a depth and energy that seemed almost tangible… like entering another way of seeing and understanding the world.”
Guided by the curator of that exhibition, Arnaud Serval, who had lived with indigenous communities since the age of 19, Primat traveled to Alice Springs, Kimberley and Arnhem Land. Over the next 12 years, he immersed himself in Aboriginal culture and often returned with paintings, not as a collector, but as someone who wanted to honor time spent with the artists and their stories.
Charging
Although known today for its cultural philanthropy, Bérengère Primat’s roots date back to one of Europe’s most influential industrial families. She is the great-granddaughter of Marcel Schlumberger, co-founder of the global oilfield services firm Schlumberger and great-niece of Dominique de Ménil, one of the most prominent art collectors and patrons of the 20th century. Art, science and heritage were constant themes in the home.
As of 2017, it had accumulated more than 1,600 works (currently, the number is about 2,000). Still, it wasn’t until a pivotal trip to the APY Lands (Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara), in the far northwest of South Australia, with her five children, that her purpose became clearer.
“We made five communities there… and in the end, one of the artists there told me: ‘There is no place in Europe where we can show our art other than an ethnographic museum.’”
When the Pierre Arnaud de Lens Foundation, to which he had lent works, ran into financial problems, he took a leap, not to preserve his collection, but to honor that comment.
“The building needed to stay for cultural or artistic projects, and that’s how I decided to immerse myself in this.”
Funded largely out of his own pocket and with the help of some donors, the Fondation Opale is a private, non-profit institution that stands as a silent monument to Primat’s singular vision and determination. Her goal, as she says, is simple but profound: “To present Aboriginal art as a living and evolving contemporary practice.”
“What we do is contemporary art. It’s not like ancient art, although the roots are deeply embedded in that ancient culture and values. But it is contemporary.”
Primat created the Opale Foundation, which houses the largest private collection of indigenous Australian art in Europe.Credit: Studio_54/Olivier Maire
“It’s also a haven for Aboriginal artists, a place where they can come and make noise, say whatever they want.”
That ambition has taken shape through a series of carefully curated exhibitions, from meditations on music and silence, to the influence of First Nations artists on figures such as Yves Klein, to laser-focused snapshots of particular moments in time, such as Papunya, 1971. But what gives the program its distinctive edge is the deliberate pairing of Aboriginal artists with those from different traditions. this year’s show Beneath the reflections of the world does exactly that, placing the late Queensland artist Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori in conversation with American outsider painter and visionary Forrest Bess.
When asked why this type of intercultural exchange remains central to his curatorial approach, Primat is adamant: “Because they break down artificial boundaries.”
Georges Petitjean, who was one of the first people in the world to earn a PhD in Indigenous Australian art in the early 2000s at La Trobe University, has been with Primat every step of the way: a trusted advisor and sounding board who now serves as curator of the Fondation Opale.
He considers that Primat has compiled the “most interesting” collection on the continent.
The two met almost two decades ago, when he was then director of the now-defunct AAMU Museum of Contemporary Aboriginal Art in Utrecht, and early recognized the importance of Primat’s growing collection.
The impressive Opale Foundation located next to an artificial lake in the Swiss Alps. Credit: Opal Foundation
“When his museum closed in 2017, I asked him to become the curator of my collection,” he says. “It’s great for me because I have someone I can talk to who understands everything… who knows this art and this culture and who has spent time with artists when he was in Australia.”
Primat says Petitjean helped guide not only his taste, but also the institutional credibility of his efforts.
Despite having built one of the most respected private collections in the world, Primat is modest – even reluctant – to praise.
“Again, I never… started the collection for that. That’s not something that’s very important to me.”
What matters most is the reception the works receive, especially from those who best know the stories behind them.
“One lady told me, ‘I always feel very proud… but when I see what you have done here and how you present and display yourself, I feel even more proud.’”
“So yeah, that means we’re on the right track anyway.”
“I don’t want to say I help them because maybe that’s a little pretentious, but I can see the difference. If they sell the art… it makes their life a little easier.”
In communities where respect and trust are hard-earned, Primat says his presence (and willingness to listen) helped forge lasting bonds.
All of Sally Gabori’s work in the show comes from the collection of Bérengère Primat, who has collected Aboriginal art for more than 25 years.Credit: Opal Foundation
“I had the opportunity to go for the first time with someone who knew the communities… so I was immediately accepted and welcomed.
“Being with my children… changed many things because for them, families are very important.”
His children, raised among canvases of red earth and stories of the desert, have also assumed the passion.
“All my siblings (and I am the eldest of eight children) and my mother also have indigenous Australian art in their home.
“And my mom only had that. That’s the only art you have in her house.”
Skye O’Meara, executive director of the APY Art Center Collective, says Primat’s investment will make a significant and lasting difference for Indigenous artists and the industry.
From left, Sally Gabori’s great-granddaughter Tori Juwarnda Wilson-Gabori, her daughter Amanda Gabori Dibirdibi and her great-granddaughter Narelle Gabori in Paris in 2022.Credit: SAY WHO Media
“From the beginning, he was committed to building his collection in a way that prioritized the care, support and better remuneration of artists,” he says. “When he started, there was much less structure and more cowboys in the industry; the ethical paths were difficult for the average collector. Bérengère found them and committed himself.”
What made Primat unique as a collector (and now makes her unique as a director), O’Meara says, is her unwavering commitment to living artists and the diversity of art and culture coming from First Nations communities.
“At a time when many galleries, dealers and museums have become increasingly conservative, risk-averse and with a tendency to focus on celebrating deceased artists, Bérengère has consistently chosen a different path,” he says.
“She champions the careers of living artists, believing they deserve recognition and support now, as they work and innovate. In this sense, she shows more courage than many. Bérengère is determined to see First Nations artists celebrated on the world stage and she is making that happen.”
O’Meara says the difference it is making can’t be measured now, but will be understood in the years to come.
Charging
“We will begin to truly see the historical significance of Bérengère’s vision and the Opale Foundation’s role in elevating indigenous artists and their work on the world stage,” he says.
Perhaps what Primat is most proud of is the fact that more and more global institutions are taking notice of the wonders of Indigenous Australian art and that major commercial galleries are paying attention. And collectors – even celebrities like Steve Martin, whose own collection has drawn global attention – are taking it seriously.
Even if a piece goes missing from time to time, he says, that’s cause for celebration.
“I’m really happy. I think, that’s great. It means more and more people are interested. Instead of being sad… I think, yeah, great.”
“I’m always looking for the next step. What should I do? And I always ask myself: Am I doing the right thing? Is it really what it takes?”
“I always try to get the response from the artists themselves.”
Beneath the reflections of the worldwith Forrest Bess and Sally Gabori, will be on display at the Fondation Opale until November 16.
