Hélène and Édouard Leclerc Fund for Culture

Hélène and Édouard Leclerc Fund for Culture
Domaine des Capucins, Landerneau; inner courtyard and former Leclerc store, a hall transformed into the exhibition space of the Hélène and Édouard Leclerc Fund for Culture
Location in Finistère
EstablishedJune 23, 2012 (2012-06-23)
LocationRue des Capucins
29800 Landerneau
Coordinates48°27′10″N 4°15′14″W / 48.4529°N 4.254°W / 48.4529; -4.254
TypeModern and contemporary art
Collection sizeArt of the 20th and 21st centuries
Websitefonds-culturel-leclerc.fr

The Hélène and Édouard Leclerc Fund for Culture is a private endowment fund in France dedicated to contemporary art, located in Landerneau, near Brest, in the department of Finistère, Brittany, France.[1]

The fund seeks to democratize access to art by organizing exhibitions featuring major figures of modern and contemporary creation.[2]

History

The center is located on the site of the former Capuchin convent—built in the 17th century—which later housed the first Leclerc hypermarket until 1986.[3] It was there that Édouard Leclerc and his wife Hélène decided to establish a space dedicated to contemporary art. The fund was created in 2011 and is chaired by Michel-Édouard Leclerc, son of the founders.[4]

It was officially inaugurated on June 23, 2012 (2012-06-23), in the presence of Hélène Leclerc,[5] former Minister of Culture Jean-Jacques Aillagon, and featured its first exhibition, dedicated to the artist Gérard Fromanger, who was also in attendance.[6][7]

The site

In 1986, the Leclerc hypermarket located in the large hall built to the northwest of the former Capuchin convent closed due to limited space, with a larger Leclerc center opening in the outskirts of Landerneau. Meanwhile, the convent had been listed as a monument historique in 1970,[8] making major alterations to the site difficult. It was then that Édouard and Hélène Leclerc conceived the idea of revitalizing this emblematic site of Landerneau.[9]

The outer walls of the former Leclerc hypermarket were clad in golden‑ochre Logonna stone, a regional microgranite, while the roof was covered in slate. The adjoining 17th‑century structures—including the former offices, courtyard, and chapel—were also restored.[10][11]

Visitors

The fund aims to make contemporary art accessible to the widest possible audience, particularly school groups. Around 125,000 visitors attended the exhibition dedicated to Joan Miró in 2013,[12][13] and approximately 140,000 came to view the works of Alberto Giacometti in 2015.[14]

The exhibitions are also accompanied by publications—initially through Éditions Textuel, and later through the fund’s own publishing house.[15]

Exhibitions

Since 2012, the Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture has hosted two exhibitions per year:

  • Gérard Fromanger – Périodisation 1962–2012, from 24 June to 28 October 2012.
  • Yann Kersalé – À des Nuits Lumière. La ville / La nuit / La mer, from 15 December 2012 to 19 May 2013.
  • Joan Miró – L'Arlequin artificier (The Harlequin Fireworker), from 16 June to 3 November 2013.
  • Métal hurlant, (À suivre) : 1975–1997. La Bande Dessinée fait sa Révolution (The Comic Book Revolution), from 15 December 2013 to 11 May 2014.
  • Dubuffet – L'Insoumis (The Rebel), from 22 June to 2 November 2014.
  • Jacques Monory, from 14 December 2014 to 17 May 2015.
  • Alberto Giacometti, from 14 June to 31 October 2015.[16]
  • Mattotti – Infini, from 6 December 2015 to 6 March 2016.[17]
  • La 3e Scène de l'Opéra national de Paris, from 10 April to 16 May 2016.
  • Chagall – De la Poésie à la Peinture (From Poetry to Painting), from 26 June to 1 November 2016.[18]
  • Hartung et les peintres lyriques (Hartung and the Lyrical Painters), from 11 December 2016 to 17 April 2017.
  • Picasso, from 25 June to 1 November 2017.
  • Libres Figurations – Années 80 (Free Figurations – The 1980s), from 10 December 2017 to 2 April 2018.
  • Henry Moore, from 10 June to 4 November 2018.
  • Mitchell | Riopelle – Un couple dans la démesure (A Couple Beyond Measure), from 16 December 2018 to 22 April 2019.
  • Cabinets de curiosités (Cabinets of Curiosities), from 23 June to 3 November 2019.
  • Vladimir Veličković, from 15 December 2019 to 26 April 2020.
  • Enki Bilal, from 18 July 2020 to 29 August 2021.
  • Françoise Pétrovitch, from 17 October 2021 to 3 April 2022.
  • Ernest Pignon-Ernest, from 12 June 2022 to 15 January 2023.
  • In the Footsteps of Tolkien and the Medieval Imagination – Paintings and Drawings by John Howe, from 25 June 2023 to 28 January 2024.
  • Henri Cartier-Bresson, from 15 June 2024 to 5 January 2025.

Current exhibitions

  • Animal!?, from 14 June to 2 November 2025.

Publications

Publications by the Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture

  • Métal hurlant 1975–1987 (À suivre) 1978–1997 – Comic books make their revolution…, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2013, ISBN 978-2-9546155-0-9 ;
  • Dubuffet the Unsubmissive, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2014, ISBN 978-2-9546155-2-3 ;
  • Jacques Monory, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2014, ISBN 978-2-9546155-3-0 ;
  • Alberto Giacometti, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour the culture, 2015, ISBN 978-2-9546155-4-7 ;
  • Mattotti Infinite, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2015, ISBN 978-2-9546155-5-4 ;
  • Chagall – From Poetry to Painting, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2016, ISBN 978-2-9546155-9-2 ;
  • 3rd Stage, Paris National Opera, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2016, ISBN 978-2-9546155-6-1 ;
  • Hartung and the Lyrical Painters, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2016, ISBN 979-10-96209-00-2 ;
  • Picasso, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2017, ISBN 979-10-96209-01-9 ;
  • Free Figurations – The 1980s, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2017, ISBN 979-10-96209-02-6 ;
  • Henry Moore, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2018, ISBN 979-10-96209-03-3 ;
  • Cabinets of Curiosities, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2019, ISBN 979-10-96209-05-7 ;
  • Veličković – The Grand Style and the Tragic, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2019, ISBN 979-10-96209-07-1 ;
  • Enki Bilal, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2020, ISBN 979-10-96209-10-1 ;
  • Françoise Pétrovitch, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2021, ISBN 979-10-96209-09-5 ;
  • Ernest Pignon-Ernest, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2022, ISBN 979-10-96209-12-5 ;
  • In the Footsteps of Tolkien and the Medieval Imagination, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2023, ISBN 979-10-96209-14-9 ;
  • Henri Cartier-Bresson, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, 2024, ISBN 979-10-96209-17-0.
  • Woman «Mujer» – Joan Miró – 1983 (artwork displayed at the Capucins during the 2013 exhibition dedicated to the artist)
  • Alberto Giacometti, by Jan Hladík, 2002
  • Hans Hartung

References

  1. ^ "Hélène & Édouard Leclerc Fund for Culture". Roscoff Tourisme. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Inauguration du fonds culturel Hélène et Édouard Leclerc". CNEWS (in French). 22 June 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  3. ^ Kerdraon, Aude (14 September 2012). "La chapelle des Capucins s'ouvre enfin au public" (in French).
  4. ^ "Présentation – Fonds Hélène & Édouard Leclerc pour la culture" (in French). Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  5. ^ She explained the absence of her husband—who initiated the project—by saying that he was "tired." Édouard Leclerc passed away three months later.
  6. ^ "Le Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture inauguré" (in French).
  7. ^ "Inauguration of the Hélène and Édouard Leclerc Cultural Fund". CNEWS. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Ancien couvent des Capucins, Landerneau (PA00090026)". Base Mérimée (French Ministry of Culture).
  9. ^ "La famille Leclerc réhabilite le site des Capucins". Le Télégramme (in French). 28 August 2010.
  10. ^ "Site des Capucins — historique et restauration". Fonds Hélène & Édouard Leclerc pour la culture (in French). Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  11. ^ "Hélène & Édouard Leclerc Fund for Culture". Roscoff Tourisme. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Beaux arts". Le Journal du dimanche. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  13. ^ "Expo Dubuffet l'insoumis au fonds Leclerc de Landerneau". Unidivers.fr. 1 July 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  14. ^ "Landerneau. 140,000 visitors for Giacometti!". letelegramme.fr. Le Télégramme. 31 October 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  15. ^ "E.Leclerc". e-leclerc.com. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  16. ^ Bellet, Harry (11 October 2015). "Les œuvres si solides et si légères d'Alberto Giacometti". Le Monde.
  17. ^ "Lorenzo Mattotti, un peintre dans la BD". Ouest-France.
  18. ^ "Landerneau. Giacometti affole les compteurs". Le Télégramme. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
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