Art collectors and scene-makers—sometimes both in the same person!—have been heading to Ibiza this Summer to see Cirque de Soleil founder Guy Laliberté’s new art-themed attractions:
Laliberté firmly believes that Ibiza, still better known by many for its package holidays and clubbing scene, can become a prime culture destination. He is not alone in working to raise the island’s artistic profile, but has taken it upon himself to help move things forward. He plans to develop a public sculpture park alongside his residence, with Rogers’s totemic installation as the centrepiece (contingent on permission from local authorities).
The billionaire’s Ibizan home, made up of several discreet villas, was once owned by the German-Swiss collector Friedrich Christian “Mick” Flick. Laliberté has transformed the property, furnishing it with works by Wolfgang Tillmans, Andreas Gursky, Franz West and Jimmie Durham. […]
Laliberté’s taste is blue chip-based and discerning but quirky, too. Outside, Ugo Rondinone’s sculpted cast aluminium tree (“I feel, you feel, we feel through eachother into ourselves”, 2012) towers on a lawn alongside an exquisite depiction offoliage in bronze and gold leaf by Giuseppe Penone (“Thunderstruck Tree”, 2012). Inside, a bust by Sarah Lucas of cigarettes grafted on to cantera stone (“Benito Juárez”, 2012) eyes up guests next to a toilet. Laliberté is also a prodigious collectorof ethnographic art, and is also keen on the young French artist Camille Henrot. Her2014 sculptural piece, “Penny Pinching”, which resembles an elongated water drop, is a standout work in his collection (and a shrewd investment: Henrot’s stock is rising both critically and commercially). A site-specific commission from US artist Jenny Holzer is in the pipeline.
The Ibiza art circus (FT.com)
