French gallerist Kamel Mennour has announced a donation of 180 artworks to the Musée d’Art Moderne (MAM) in Paris. The gift, drawn from his namesake gallery and personal collection, includes works by over 45 artists such as Alicja Kwade, Anish Kapoor, Daniel Buren, and Lee Ufan. The donation will join MAM’s permanent collections after validation by Paris Musées and the French government, with an exhibition planned for 2027 in the museum’s ARC rooms.
This donation matters because it represents one of the largest gifts by a living gallerist to a major French museum, reinforcing the role of private dealers in shaping public collections. Mennour cited inspiration from dealer Michael Werner’s 2012 donation to the same institution, highlighting a growing trend of gallerists bequeathing stock to museums. The gift also secures the legacy of Mennour’s gallery, founded in 1999, and enriches MAM’s holdings with significant contemporary works.