Art Basel’s ‘Meet the collectors’ film series celebrates today’s most inspiring patrons

Marie-Cécile Zinsou is a leading figure in the world of contemporary African art. Born in Paris, the Beninese art historian and cultural entrepreneur has dedicated her life to the promotion and appreciation of African art. In 2005, she created the Fondation Zinsou in Cotonou and, in 2013, opened the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Ouidah, now a key institution in Benin.

In this episode of ‘Meet the collectors’, she welcomes Art Basel to Ouidah. As she introduces us to her collection – which includes remarkable works by Jeremy Demester, Joël Andrianomearisoa, and Ibrahim Mahama – she explains the nature of the project: ‘This museum was created for the community, for the children. The collection is built around the following question: how do we tell a young audience in West Africa today about the world?’

The Fondation Zinsou also has an arm dedicated to publishing art books and its team trains teachers, works in partnership with schools, and regularly organizes workshops where children are invited to create art using the same equipment as artists. ‘We aim to give them new ways of expressing themselves,’ says Zinsou.