Jean Pigozzi
Encyclopedia
Jean Pigozzi is a businessman, art collector, philanthropist
and photographer. He was born in Paris
as the son of Henri Pigozzi
, founder of the French car maker Simca
. Pigozzi studied in Paris and at Harvard University
before working for the Gaumont Film Company
and 20th Century Fox
. He has homes in London, New York, Paris, Cap d'Antibes, and Panama
, and also owns a 66m private motor yacht, the Amazon Express.
, and was presented at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, at the Grimaldi Forum
in Monaco
, at the National Museum of African Art
in Washington D.C., at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain
, at the Pinacoteca Giovanni and Marella Agnelli in Turin, Italy, and the Tate Modern in London. For the last three years he has been collecting contemporary Japanese art by young Japanese artists.
. LJL was founded to bring high-technology to ecological research and conservation with the following partners: The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, The Royal Botanical Society in Madrid and Yale School of Forestry. The goal is to create, on the Isla Canales de Tierra, one of the most advanced field stations in the world for Marine and Botanical research.
His most recent book Catalogue Deraisonne was published in 2010.
Frustrated that he couldn’t find clothing that fit, Johnny created LimoLand, a men’s clothing and accessories line, in 2007. According to Patricia Marx in the August 8, 2011 issue of "The New Yorker," "When the pudgy billionaire photographer Jean Pigozzi complained to (clothing designer Tom)Ford that he couldn't find so much as a handkerchief to buy at the store, the designer told him 'You know why? I don't want big fat guys like you in my shop.'" As founder and creative director, Johnny is the heart and soul of the brand, which represents the culmination of his many years collecting and creating art, working with colors and prints, and traveling the world. LimoLand is a lifestyle brand for individuals who, as Johnny says “LIVE TO CREATE”, or perhaps as couturiers catering to the lean and abs-conscious might say, "LIVE TO EAT" and want their clothing to reflect this. In August 2010 Johnny opened the first freestanding store for the line in New York’s Meatpacking District at 829 Washington Street. He simultaneously launched the first ecommerce site for the brand www.alimoland.com. LimoLand's exceptional clothing and accessories have been sold in some of the top stores around the world, including Colette in Paris, Dover Street Market in London, 10 Corso Como in Milan and Land of Tomorrow in Tokyo. The brand has been featured in such influential fashion magazines as Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, T: The New York Times Magazine, and The International Herald Tribune.
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
and photographer. He was born in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
as the son of Henri Pigozzi
Henri Pigozzi
Henri Pigozzi , a car merchant and industrialist, was born as Enrico Teodoro Pigozzi in Turin, Italy....
, founder of the French car maker Simca
Simca
Simca was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat. It was directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by the Italian Henri Théodore Pigozzi...
. Pigozzi studied in Paris and at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
before working for the Gaumont Film Company
Gaumont Film Company
Gaumont Film Company is a French film production company founded in 1895 by the engineer-turned-inventor, Léon Gaumont . Gaumont is the oldest continously operating film company in the world....
and 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. He has homes in London, New York, Paris, Cap d'Antibes, and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, and also owns a 66m private motor yacht, the Amazon Express.
Collecting
Pigozzi has over the last twenty years assembled the world’s largest collection of contemporary African art. The collection is based in GenevaGeneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, and was presented at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, at the Grimaldi Forum
Grimaldi Forum
Grimaldi Forum, Monaco is a conference & congress centre located on the seafront of Monaco's eastern beach quartier, Larvotto. Les Ballets de Monte Carlo and the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra regularly perform here...
in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
, at the National Museum of African Art
National Museum of African Art
The National Museum of African Art is a museum that is part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.. Located on the National Mall, the museum specializes in African art and culture...
in Washington D.C., at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art, designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, built by Ferrovial, and located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. It is built alongside the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao to the Atlantic Coast. The...
, at the Pinacoteca Giovanni and Marella Agnelli in Turin, Italy, and the Tate Modern in London. For the last three years he has been collecting contemporary Japanese art by young Japanese artists.
Philanthropy
In 1996 he started buying land in and around Bahia Honda in Panama for conservation, and also created The LIQUID JUNGLE LABLiquid Jungle Lab (LJL) Panama
The Liquid Jungle Lab is a tropical marine research station located on the island of Canales de Tierra situated on the western coast of Pacific Panamá, along a primary marine biological corridor between the Americas...
. LJL was founded to bring high-technology to ecological research and conservation with the following partners: The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, The Royal Botanical Society in Madrid and Yale School of Forestry. The goal is to create, on the Isla Canales de Tierra, one of the most advanced field stations in the world for Marine and Botanical research.
Photography
In the early 1960s being dyslexic, Jean kept a visual journal of his friends, family and everything around him, this is still an ongoing project. His first exhibition was in 1974 at the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris. His photographs were recently shown in the exhibition Pigozzi and the Paparazzi at the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin. His vanity show "JOHNNY STOP" opened in November 2010 at the Gagosian Gallery in New York City.His most recent book Catalogue Deraisonne was published in 2010.
Design
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- This section is written like an advertisement and needs to be rewritten to be more objective**
Frustrated that he couldn’t find clothing that fit, Johnny created LimoLand, a men’s clothing and accessories line, in 2007. According to Patricia Marx in the August 8, 2011 issue of "The New Yorker," "When the pudgy billionaire photographer Jean Pigozzi complained to (clothing designer Tom)Ford that he couldn't find so much as a handkerchief to buy at the store, the designer told him 'You know why? I don't want big fat guys like you in my shop.'" As founder and creative director, Johnny is the heart and soul of the brand, which represents the culmination of his many years collecting and creating art, working with colors and prints, and traveling the world. LimoLand is a lifestyle brand for individuals who, as Johnny says “LIVE TO CREATE”, or perhaps as couturiers catering to the lean and abs-conscious might say, "LIVE TO EAT" and want their clothing to reflect this. In August 2010 Johnny opened the first freestanding store for the line in New York’s Meatpacking District at 829 Washington Street. He simultaneously launched the first ecommerce site for the brand www.alimoland.com. LimoLand's exceptional clothing and accessories have been sold in some of the top stores around the world, including Colette in Paris, Dover Street Market in London, 10 Corso Como in Milan and Land of Tomorrow in Tokyo. The brand has been featured in such influential fashion magazines as Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, T: The New York Times Magazine, and The International Herald Tribune.
External links
- Official website for LimoLand clothing
- Interview with Jean on Theodora & Callum
- Official homepage of the Contemporary African Art Collection
- Official homepage of the Pigozzi Contemporary Japanese Art Collection
- THE LIQUID JUNGLE LAB
- Jean Pigozzi's personal website
- Amazon Express - Private Motor Yacht