Franco-American jewelry collector and designer Catherine Sarr, creator of the Almasika collection, and her husband Mamadou-Abou Sarr are big supporters of black artists on both sides of the Atlantic. Their Saar Collection includes works by emerging and established artists such as Carrie Mae Weems, Lonnie Graham, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Dawoud Bey, Leslie Hewitt and Lina Iris Viktor, and funds the Sarr Price (partnership with the Beaux-Arts de Paris and the Villa Albertine, a French government institution promoting artistic exchanges between France and the United States). The prize awards €5,000 to three current Beaux-Arts students and awards one of them a month-long residency in Chicago. Last years winners were Algerian-born painter Abdelhak Benallou, French video artist Jérémie Danon and Ecuadorian sculptor Sofía Salazar Rosales.
The Art Newspaper: What was the first work you bought?
Catherine Sarr: The first piece in our collection was acquired in Gabon some twenty years ago. It is a beautiful sculpture made of a stone called Mbigou. Mbigou is a small region of Gabon known for producing natural stone with gray tones, shades of green and garnet which gives
an ethereal glow to the polished surface of the sculptures.
What was your last purchase?
My most recent purchase is that of Abdelhak Benallou, a painter based in Paris and winner of the Prix Sarr 2022. His work is often inspired by scenes of daily life and reflects on social behaviors and relationships within society. today, while playing with the contrasts between light and dark in his figurative compositions. I can’t wait to see how the Prix Sarr de Benallou residency with the Villa Albertine in September will allow him a critical moment of reflection to allow him to expand his practice.
If your house was on fire, how much work would you save?
Series III Tribal Marks by Babajide Olatunji, a Nigerian photorealist painter, holds a special place in our house.
If money weren’t an issue, what would your dream purchase be?
At the top of my list would be a work by Mark Bradford. I am fascinated by his large-scale abstract works which combine collage, painting and scrap with an artistic language of his own. Its practice of social engagement also reflects the philosophy of our own collection.
What work do you regret not buying when you had the chance?
I had the opportunity to acquire a sculpture by Ben Enwonwu, a Nigerian painter and sculptor who was such an influential artist of the 20th century, creating increased visibility for modern African art. I was pretty upset with myself that I didn’t take it.
What is the most surprising place where you have exhibited a work?
Bathroom, I will not say the artists!
Which artist, dead or alive, would you invite to your dream dinner party?
Alma Thomas would have a seat at my dream dinner. I admire his captivating work, the exuberant color and luminous form of his contemplative paintings, and his lyrical portrayal of natural forms that would make philosophical conversation.
What’s the best fundraising tip you’ve got
been given?
The best advice I’ve ever received is to collect art with passion, purpose and values.
What was your favorite exhibit you saw in Chicago recently?
Most recently was Hauntology: Ghostly Questions at Mariane Ibrahim. The exhibition, curated by British-Nigerian curator Aindrea Emelife, explored ideas of black women by bringing together the many perspectives of female artists from Africa and the diaspora.
