Portraits from the team #1 – Alison

With a Bachelor’s degree in art history and a master’s degree in art management, Alison joined the team three years ago and she is one of the company’s key players.

Propertied diverse skills, her primary mission is the day-to-day management of the Francès Collection. As the collection’s manager, she works on the administrative and logistical control of artworks, both internally at the Francès Corporate Foundation, and for loans or turnkey exhibitions outside the walls in France and international. As soon as a work is acquired, a particular kind of attention is given to its documentation, conservation and diffusion.

Additionally, Alison ensures the documentary monitoring: maintenance and management of the documentation centre and its books, monitoring of book loans, archiving and classification of data, as much in connection with the works as with all internal projects.

Constantly in correspondence with our service providers and partners, she wins the loyalty of the Arroi Network and creates essential connections for the proper functioning of the carried out projects. She also accompanies artists in residencies throughout the technical realization of their creation.

Passionate about art, design and architecture, she actively monitors the current affairs in the world of contemporary art and its market, and shares her discoveries every week on our social networks. Therefore, she is involved in web communication (newsletters, website, social networks and e-mail) and may be required to take part in various projects.

She tells us all about her profession :

“Artwork management is a profession of passion. Precise, rigorous, delicate. I work with many sectors and professions: museums, galleries or corporations, curators, project managers, researchers, transporters, restaurateurs, coaches, set designers, carpenters or construction companies… I ensure the requirements are met; the project partners are connected, and the operations are carried out in accordance with the limited time. I also offer my expertise on the feasibility of projects. In my position at Arroi, contemporary art presents me with broad and sometimes surprising challenges in terms of conservation, manipulation and installation. The whole difficulty lies in the distance to be put in relation to the work during the operations: to take into account its significance but to take a step aside, to think beyond its historical importance, there is a sentimental for the owners and obviously, there is a value in the market, specific to certain conditions. It’s about keeping your cool under all circumstances, and exploring multiple possibilities to deal with any kind of eventuality. Working with living artists is also a source of enrichment. The artwork management offers this privilege: to open a crate, to be in front of the work, to take a break and to savour this moment out of time, personal, rare and precious, without barriers, before examining its condition. It is important to appreciate this opportunity and be aware of what we are doing every day.

I also operate on communication and ensure the transmission of the news and particularities of the artists and works of the collection. In the same way, it involves sharing behind the scenes of the management of a collection, setting up or the moving of the works when they travel during loans. Recent acquisitions must be integrated into the website as well as the events needs to be relayed. In this way, communication is part of the day-to-day documentation missions.”

Visual : Assembling of the exhibition “Au fil de l’amour” at MAL de Laon, setting up the artwork of Oda Jaune, Francès Collection.