Antoine Gentil, Paris - MEET THE COLLECTOR Series Part Forty Three

I met this week’s collector several years ago at the Outsider Art Fair when he bought a work by British self-taught artist Albert when I used to work for another organisation. Antoine Gentil is a young collector, who has an interesting collecting style and way of showcasing his works. He owns 57bis in Paris, so read on to hear more about this and what is important to him in part forty-three of my ‘Meet the Collector’ series.

Photograph of Antoine Gentil

1. When did your interest in the field of outsider/folk art begin?
It was a Wednesday in the autumn, maybe 10-15 years ago. It is important that you know it was the middle of the week.

2. When did you become a collector of this art?  How many pieces do you think are in your collection now? And do you exhibit any of it on the walls of your home or elsewhere?
I don’t collect. It is more that they collect me. The work is shown to me and afterwards I understand what I need to do. I started collecting around 10-15 years ago when I found out about this field. They choose me, that means I am the one that lives with them and I am alone with the works. I have no idea how many works there are. The works move around me and I am constantly moving, so constantly living with different works.  

57bis, Paris - Antoine’s space

3. Can you tell us a bit about your background? And about your gallery 57bis in Paris?
I live in Paris and was born and raised here. I fell in love in Paris. I have a thrift store here and I have a wall inside that where I can exhibit work - you can see on my Instagram. I set it up in February 2017. Before I did exhibitions in the same shop from 2014. I prefer people who are interested in clothes than people that are interested in art, but I prefer art to clothes. It is called ‘57bis’ as that is the address of the shop.

The work I now show is like a diary of things I like to look at. I also show works by artists like Fanny Viollet and works from la Fabuloserie. If people are interested in those works they have to explain to me why.

I also do work with people like Daniel Cordier and at the Outsider Art Fair in New York 2020, the 57bis had a booth featuring an artist from Paris called Isidor, whose work was ‘de votre possible.' In Paris many people know him, but not outside of Paris. It was important for me that we showed him the way we did in New York – it was an honour.

4. What style of work, if any, is of particular interest to you within this field? (for example is it embroidery, drawing, sculpture, and so on)
I am interested in all works – every kind of work – all of the people. However, mainly people who are doing art at the end of their lives.

5. A conflicted term at present, but can you tell us about your opinion of the term outsider art, how you feel about it and if there are any other words that you think we should be using instead?
“I feel it Is something inside you, it is hard to explain. They are talking about you boy, but you’re still the same” – Nightcall by Kavinsky. That is my opinion.

Antoine and artist Francis Marshall in 57bis

6. Would you say you had a favourite artist or piece of work within your collection? And why?
I do not have a favourite artist. My favourite work is an anonymous one that I picked up from an anonymous gallery in France.

7. Where would you say you buy most of your work from: a studio, art fairs, exhibitions, auctions, or direct from artists?
I buy work in the morning. I buy from everywhere, but it is important to note that it is in the morning, as I feel more comfortable then.

8. Is there an exhibition in this field of art that you have felt has been particularly important? And why?
Inside the ocean – it is a new territory to go inside it. This is where we can find nice land. The best exhibition I think I could see would be inside the water. It is complicated. I am like a fish… I will die if I go to an exhibition.

Actually I love La Fabuloserie and what they do and the works they show.

9. Are there any people within this field that you feel have been particularly important to pave the way for where the field is at now?
The Bourbonnais family - why?… because I have a crush.

The booth at Outsider Art Fair, New York in 2020

10. What are you working on at the moment?
I have a very nice project. It will go live next year in 2021, but I can’t say where yet or anymore about it.

11. Is there anything else you would like to add?
I like Andrew Edlin playing the guitar! Also in the future I would like to know more about what outsider artists are eating – are they gluten free, etc. I’d like to see if there is a link between what they are eating and whether that influences their art.

One of the anonymous works that Antoine owns