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"What really matters to me is making art accessible."
As director of the FAMM, a private museum owned by collector Christian Levett, she played a major role in transforming this place into an exhibition space 100% dedicated to women artists.
In the galleries, Leisa Paoli is busy in front of the canvases. "I'm going to make a new hanging proposal to Mr. Levett. We work as a team and he recently acquired a painting by Artemisia Gentileschi and another by Leonor Fini at a record price. We would like to exhibit them, so we're playing a bit of Tetris because there are already a lot of paintings," explains the director, with her soft British accent.
She was the one who came up with the idea for the name of this private museum. An acronym that speaks for itself: FAMM, for Women Artists of the Mougins Museum. Initially arriving as an assistant in 2012, at a time when the institution mainly presented the collector's antique works*, she took over as director and worked on an immense project: its transformation into an establishment entirely devoted to female talents, from the Impressionists to the present day.
700 works by female artists to be promoted
“When you realize that if you choose a male Impressionist painter, compared to Berthe Morisot, who was one of the founding members of the movement, the prices can be multiplied by ten… it’s not normal. I’m a real sponge and the thirst for learning has never left me since childhood. So immersing myself in the lives of these women to discover their stories is fascinating for me,” the director continues.
Arriving on the French Riviera 30 years ago for a summer job, she never left the South. Not so much for the sun, but because she met the father of her children there and appreciated the French way of life. "I love the conversations we have around the table in France, with the voices rising during the meal, being able to go from ancient ruins to Haussmannian boulevards in Paris, and there are so many museums in the region," continues the food enthusiast, who enjoys visiting exhibitions on weekends.
"Art soothes me, calms my mind."
Leisa previously worked in theater and design for trade shows in Cannes. “When I designed an exhibition stand and had to get teams to build it while respecting a budget, I learned how to manage projects,” adds the film enthusiast, who has also been the administrative director of the Levett Collection since 2019, a collection of nearly 2,000 works. Checking the condition of paintings and sculptures, having them restored, traveling to exhibitions… it’s all part of her daily routine. And the FAMM also has a local presence, as evidenced by the exhibition co-curated by Leisa with Simon de Pury at the Mougins art center until the end of May. This exhibition is dedicated to Elisabeth Colomba, placing the Black woman at the heart of art history. She concludes: “At the FAMM, we show artworks but also the faces of the artists, which I wanted to display right at the entrance.” Each month we organize conferences, "FAMM Hour," followed by a friendly drink. It's great that it appeals to connoisseurs, but I also want to whet the appetite of the general public. These are all small actions to change perspectives.
*The place was called the Mougins Museum of Classical Art at the time.
