About Louise Blouin
Louise Blouin is Chairmen of the Louise Blouin FoundAtion, an organization dedicated to promoting cultural dialouge and addressing the challenges and opportunities of globalzation through the lens of culture (LTBFoundation.org). In a strategic partnership with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, the Foundation hosts the annual Blouin Creative Leadership Summit in New York City (CreativeLeadershipSummit.org). The Summit is a forum for heads of state, Nobel laureates, CEOs, executives of global agencies, leading scholars and artists to foster new partnerships and develop actionable solutions for challenges such as poverty, cultural conflict, international trade and climate change.
Since 2005 the Foundation has hosted a series of contemporary art exhibitions around the theme of culturall dialogue at its museum space in Holland Park, London. The Foundation has featured renowned Chinese artist Wang Guangyi, installation artists Gary Hill and Gary Judah, traditional Chinese painting, as well as submissions to the Kandinsky Prize, a competition for emerging Russian artists.
In 2009 the Foundation organized ART+HOPE, a project in collaboration with artist Ross Bleckner and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, to provide art-based therapy to former child soldiers in Northern Uganda. Other Foundation initiatives include Bring Back New Orleans, a research effort that enabled the city of New Orleans to obtain a $300 million federal earmark for development of the city’s cultural sector; the commission of research by the OECD on the contributions of culture industries, entitled International Measurement of the Economic and Social Importance of Culture; and support for A Soldier’s Tale, a theatre production by Iraqi and British actors in London’s Old Vic Theatre.
In parallel, Louise Blouin is the Chairmen and Chief Executive Officer of Louise Blouin Media (LBM), the leading global media company focused on the promotion of the arts and culture. LBM’s brands include ARTINFO.com, the Blouin Art Sales Index database, magazines Art+Auction,Modern Painters, Gallery Guide, and catalogue publisher Somogy.
With its in-depth reporting on the art market in Art+Auction, insider access in Modern Painters, worldwide exhibition listings in Gallery Guide, and breaking news on ARTINFO.com, LBM covers visual arts, performing arts and all forms of culture from every perspective. From offices in New York, London, Paris and Beijing, and with a team of over three hundred writers worldwide, LBM publishes ARTINFO websites in English, French, Portuguese and Chinese, as well as over ninety catalog titles each year for institutions such as the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum. The worldwide ARTINFO sites, together with the Blouin Art Sales Index, provide the most comprehensive international coverage of museums, galleries, auctions, fairs, performing arts, architecture, design, style, travel, and art market financial data.
Prior to founding Louise Blouin Media, Louise Blouin was the founding partner and co-CEO of Trader Classified Media, the international leader in online and print classified advertising.
In over fifteen years leading Trader Classified, Louise Blouin turned around a business with more than 70 companies, 400 publications and 9 million readers per week. With her management team, she led over 7,000 employees in North America, Eastern Europe, Russia, and Australia, and developed 60 internet sites in 20 countries. She relinquished her interest in Trader Classified in 2000 to develop Louise Blouin Media.
Louise Blouin Foundation
Overview
The Louise Blouin Foundation is one of the largest non-government funded, not-for-profit cultural spaces in London. The Foundation features exhibitions of both established and emerging international contemporary artists alongside a lively programme of lectures and events.
The Philosophy
The philosophy of the Foundation is experimentation, questioning, debate, and learning, and there are two focuses of activity. The first is to present the work of individual artists through temporary exhibitions, installations, performances and screenings. We also promote a lively programme of events such as lectures, debates, workshops, think tanks and summits related to the Foundation’s areas of interest.
The Space
The Louise Blouin Foundation is a cultural space in a prime West London location. Alongside the Foundation’s programme of exhibitions promoting global culture, the unique and impressive venue is available for hire for outside events.
The Foundation has undertaken a £20 million investment programme to transform a former industrial building into an important arts space. The radically redesigned interior maximises the building’s potential and enhances its light atmosphere. The re-sculpted interior provides a dramatic triple-height 35 ft entrance hall and an adaptable 5,000 sq ft gallery space and café on the ground floor. The modern, elegant interiors are exceptionally well-proportioned; they provide an ideal location for independent productions and a prestigious setting for private events.
The dramatic façade of the building employs all 80 of the original arched windows to present a permanent light installation by legendary artist James Turrell. The windows, lit from within, create an ever-changing and colourful artwork which can be seen from afar.
History of the Building
The building was established in 1920s as the headquarters for Barker & Co., coach-builders for the classic English auto-manufacturers Rolls Royce, Bentley and Daimler. The building is a traditional premises for creative projects, and was formerly home to the Designers Guild. In 2005 the property was acquired by Louise Blouin who commissioned architects Borgos Dance to redesign the building for the Foundation.
Members are essential to the future of the Louise Blouin Foundation. The Foundation presents a unique, contextualized programme of visual arts, films, talks, music, café and other special events.
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