In 1988, the town of Fréjus acquired a magnificent 25-hectare wooded property, the Parc Aurélien, with the aim of creating a cultural complex of international stature. The Daniel Templon Foundation offered to be one of the main contributors in this project, helping to build a major museum of contemporary art on the land, with its own prestigious architecture. This idea idea was warmly welcomed by the Mayor of Fréjus. The museum will be focusing on art from the 1950s to the present day, including painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design and fashion. In addition to a large permanent collection, made up of donations from artists, collectors and part of Daniel Templon’s private collection, the museum will organise temporary exhibitions on an ongoing basis. Having the role of a meeting place, the Foundation will also seek to develop local cultural life, particularly around resident artists.
Text from the exhibition’s catalog

The idea of the avant-garde favored the Americans, who were advancing as a group, while the Parisians were advancing as a scattered movement. Paris was no longer the capital of the art world. Yet even today, this logic is being challenged in favor of a re-evaluation of the painting production in France during this period. In contrast to the monolithic American block, the French group provides a rich diversity that is enhanced by the current post-modern gaze, for which this situation should offer nothing but advantages.
Harry Bellet, text from the catalog “L’art en France” 1945-1990