Who was Monique Zajfen?
Monique Zajfen (1939-1995), a cosmopolitan by nature, was born in Paris and spent the greater part of her adult life in New York and Antwerp. Already at a young age, she was passionate about art and with her intuitive taste she laid the foundation of an art collection, which has now become representative for this century. In 1979 she opened Gallery 121 in Antwerp, together with her friend Emy Tob-de Toledo. Her spirit and quest for freedom attracted many young and or upcoming artists, such as Helen Chadwick, Francesco Clemente, Sandro Chia, René Daniëls, Keith Haring,
Henk Visch, Teun Hocks, Robbert Mapplethorpe and Michelangelo Pistoletto.
Monique Zajfen was a beloved friend of the Broere family. In 2000, The Broere Charitable Foundation launched, in memory of Monique Zajfen, The Vincent van Gogh Biennal Award for Contemporary Art in Europe, in short The Vincent Award.
The Monique Zajfen Collection
Under the name The Monique Zajfen Collection, the Stedelijk Museum works in tandem with The Broere Charitable Foundation on a collection of contemporary art which is given to the museum on long-term loan. The Monique Zajfen Collection is affiliated to The Vincent Award: the collection consists of acquired work by winners of The Vincent Award, expanded with the acquisition of other contemporary artworks.
This approach to forming a collection for the benefit of a museum marks the introduction of a new kind of contemporary Maecenas in the Netherlands. With these works on loan, the Stedelijk Museum is able to exhibit substantially more contemporary art that complements its own collection.
Thomas Schütte, Three Capacity Men, 2005
steal, siliconenrubber, cotton blankets, height: 250 cm.
The Monique Zajfen Collection
Photo: Stedelijk Museum / Gert Jan van Rooij