Interview of Marilou Berry

Yves Derai: Have you ever splashed out on a work of art?

Marilou Berry: Not really… well, a bit, actually. I bought my boyfriend a lithograph by Vasarely, of which only about thirty copies were printed. He gave me a lithograph by Magritte in return. He’s a sculptor, and as artists we tend to swap things, which means we end up with quite a few pieces. And my dad was a sculptor too. I used to get a piece of art for every birthday. No need to ‘splash out’, you see…

Are you a collector?

M.R: I’d say I’m more of a hoarder. When you visit a museum, you tend to end up in the shop. And when you travel, you always bring things back. My boyfriend and I love Lego. We’ve built a Titanic, a Game Boy, a Mario, and so on. I’m a fan of old toys. I’ve got a Mickey Mouse phone, an E.T. figurine, a toy toilet… It’s a bit all over the place, not like when you’re a proper collector.

Do you spend a lot of time in museums?

M.R. : No, not that much. I go with my 7-year-old son to the Musée en herbe and the Atelier des Lumières, which are great places to introduce a child to art. And he’s always up for a trip to the Louvre because he’s fascinated by Egyptology.

What’s your favourite museum?

M.R. : Probably the Louvre, which is an extraordinary place where you can spend hours. But the exhibition that made the biggest impression on me was held at the Palais des Papes in Avignon, years ago. The theme was beauty, and I remember a room entirely covered in laurel leaves with a work as yellow as the sun that dazzled me.

If you could choose one artwork, regardless of its price, to display in your home?

Marilou Berry : Oh my! That’s a tough one, there are so many. Perhaps a giant Calder mobile for my house in Normandy. And in Paris, a very classical painting, one by La Tour, for example. It would create a nice contrast in my very contemporary interior.

If you could choose an artist to paint your portrait?

M.R. : Are we allowed to choose dead artists?

Yes.

M.R. : Leonardo da Vinci. Even one of his pupils would do!

Among all the art forms, where do you place theatre?

M.R. : I’m going to surprise you, but in my opinion, theatre or cinema isn’t art – it’s entertainment. For me, art must be silent and individual. Cinema or theatre is noisy and collective.

Your partner, nicknamed ‘Le Diamantaire’, started out in street art. Is this the artistic revolution of our century?

M.R. : Yes, I think so, because street art makes art accessible to people who aren’t part of the art world. There’s no need for galleries or exhibitions; you can show your work to as many people as possible on the street, on walls. It all started back in the 1970s with graffiti, actually. Basquiat was, in his own way, a street artist. These days, the genre is a bit overrated.

Are you intrigued by the mystery of Banksy?

M.R. : His anonymity? I think it’s clever when artists step back from their work to such an extent. Banksy challenges the established order; he brings art down from its pedestal. Like Invader, who sells works at low prices via a prize draw. I’ve bought one myself that way. Art is too heavily controlled by people who treat it primarily as a business.

Do you like biopics about artists?

M.R. : No, the romanticisation of certain life stories puts me off. With a few exceptions, I’m not really the target audience for that sort of film.

Article written by Yves Derai, featured in issue 15 of Oniriq Magazine

Translated by Bethszabee Garner