It always is sad to lose anyone who has made significant contributions to the art scene in Chicago, and soon we will lose one of the city`s most active proponents on behalf of contemporary French art, architecture, photography and design.
Daniel Ollivier, cultural attache of the Consulate General of France since 1988, will return to Paris next week to begin work as the director of the department of internal affairs at Radio France Internationale.
His role there will be to market Radio France programming to other countries and, in a sense, that continues the impulse he has exercised here on behalf of French art.
Before Ollivier arrived in Chicago four years ago, we had seen a range of contemporary French art in only one exhibition, at the Renaissance Society.
French galleries had showed in the Chicago International Art Exposition, and Christian Boltanski had received a retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art. But that was little compared to what we had seen of contemporary work from Germany, Italy, England and Spain.
From his first day, Ollivier set out to correct the oversight, planning events on behalf of such artists and architects as Patrick Faigenbaum, Jean Nouvel, Henri Gaudin, Andree Putman, Jean-Pierre Raynaud and Patrick Tosani.
One might well think that`s what he was here to do, but never in 20 years had any representative of a foreign government planned exhibitions, lectures and symposia for Chicago on so grand a scale, and never had they turned out so well.
The Raynaud retrospective in 1991 was the aesthetic high point, though for complexity one would have to cite this year`s ”Illinois Salutes France,” a huge month-long project undertaken with the Office of the Governor that showcased French culture and commerce.
Even now, with less than a week remaining in his term, Ollivier is working to bring back to Chicago Putman and the early music group Les Arts Florissants next year.
During his stay, he honored a number of Chicagoans with decorations from the French Government. A pity we do not have one to give him.
Goodbye, and thank you.
