Fondation Zinsou, Art museum and foundation in Cotonou, Benin.
The Fondation Zinsou is a private non-profit founded in Cotonou in June 2005 by art historian Marie-Cécile Zinsou, with her father Lionel Zinsou and her great-uncle, former president Émile Derlin Zinsou. Its museum of contemporary art opened in Ouidah on 11 November 2013, showing works drawn from a collection of over a thousand pieces, including Romuald Hazoumè, Cyprien Tokoudagba, Malick Sidibé and Samuel Fosso.
Marie-Cécile Zinsou, born in 1982 and trained in art history, launched the project in Cotonou in June 2005 with her father, businessman Lionel Zinsou, and her great-uncle, former Beninese president Émile Derlin Zinsou. It was the first Beninese organisation devoted to contemporary art. Its museum opened in Ouidah on 11 November 2013 with a selection from the collection, including works by Romuald Hazoumè, Cyprien Tokoudagba and Malick Sidibé.
The foundation's name comes from the Zinsou family: Marie-Cécile Zinsou founded it in June 2005 with her father Lionel Zinsou and her great-uncle Émile Derlin Zinsou, former president of Benin. It runs children's workshops, dance and photography workshops, and opened two mini-libraries in Cotonou. Its 2010 collaboration with the Regard Bénin 1.0 festival led to the Biennale Bénin in 2012.
The foundation has two sites: the Cotonou space where it began in 2005, and the contemporary art museum opened in Ouidah on 11 November 2013. Entry is free for all visitors. Guides and curators are present, and photographs of the collections are allowed without flash.
The foundation's collection grew to around a thousand contemporary works within eight years, and 80% of its visitors are under 20. It also opened two mini-libraries in Cotonou. In 2014 Marie-Cécile Zinsou received the Praemium Imperiale for founding it.
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