Connecting Art with Business: An Interview with Edouard Challemel du Rozier

When Edouard Challemel du Rozier founded Bail Art in Paris in 2009, he understood the potential of linking art and business together for a mutually beneficial relationship. Companies investing in or expanding their art collections as investment, but also as a benefit to their brand, bringing art into the workplace and creating a more dynamic environment was one aspect of Bail Art’s mission. The innovative company also works with private collectors to facilitate the sale and purchase of art, and it participates in exhibitions and art fairs, helping to promote up & coming artists as well as more established names.

TLmag: What is the mission of Bail Art?

Edouard Challemel du Rozier: Since its creation in 2009, Bail Art aims at building bridges between art and companies. Our goal is to introduce art into the corporate world in many different ways, from financing (leasing), to wide-scale art projects, such as turnkey exhibitions, artwork commissions, artist residencies, or building an art collection.

TLmag: Does Bail Art focus exclusively on contemporary art or art from all eras? Who are its main clients?

E.C.d.R: Bail Art finances a wide range of works, from pre-Columbian art to Contemporary art. Our main clients are small and medium-sized companies, key accounts and global companies.

TLmag: How does it work with corporate art collections? Are you working with the company overtime to build a collection for long-term or is it more consulting and advising to get them started?

E.C.d.R: Both are possible. We give access to financial solutions (leasing), but we also advise a company on how to start or expand an art collection. We work with international galleries, agents and artists in order to answer collectors’ wishes and needs. It always depends on the company’s perspectives, whether they want to invest in art or promote young artists. We can be involved in the project from A to Z, or just for one step of the way. Purchasing an artwork, setting-up an exhibition according to specific needs, or even renting artworks, are all possibilities. We are here to connect art and professional life.

TLmag: In terms of partners – does Bail Art work with galleries and curators across Europe?

E.C.d.R: Yes, absolutely. We work with all type of art professionals across Europe and all over the world: art galleries, curators, auction houses, artists, agents, art fairs, etc.

TLmag: Is the company involved with art fairs and in aiding prizes for young artists?

E.C.d.R: It can be, yes. During art fairs, we provide means to spread costs and save taxes while buying art: leasing. We can also take part in charity events around art that redistribute a part or the entirety of their profits to a cause. We also like to take part in prizes for young artists when we can. Last year, for instance, I was honoured to be part of the jury of the Section naturaliste du Salon des Beaux-Arts, a prestigious French prize rewarding young artists who focus their artistic research on Nature and animals.

TLmag: Where did your passion for contemporary art come from? Are you also a collector?

E.C.d.R: I would talk more of a general passion for art, than a specific passion for contemporary art. This passion finds its roots in an auspicious family context, as my parents shared with us their taste for art and Art History. They managed to educate and sharpen our eye on the topic, and it gave me the interest to dedicate my professional life to it.

I do not see myself as a collector, per se, but my wife and I regularly buy artworks. I would love to purchase a Jaume Plensa’s sculpture, a painting by Craig Hanna or Marc Desgrandchamps, or one of Gregory Crewdson’s photographs.

TLmag: What are some of the exhibitions or collaborations that you’ve been most pleased about seeing develop?

E.C.d.R: There is not one in particular. We are proud of all our realisations, as we effectively participate to bring artwork into professional environments. The idea of building bridges between the art world and companies is the core of our mission.

TLmag: How do you see the role of Bail Art in the coming years?

E.C.d.R: We intend to stay the leader on the art leasing market in France, but also to reinforce our position as organizers of projects linking art and companies. Our motto is to give the art market access to the corporate world. Hence, we offer new horizons to employers, employees and everything that surrounds them, as well as new possibilities for artists.

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