The Extra Mile

His deep interest in the arts has painted a bigger picture for philanthropist Pierre Lorinet when it comes to the important role the private sector can play in helping the smaller arts organisations reach their creative potential

- Grace Ma

As a child, Pierre Lorinet loved anything related to graphic arts. His great, great-grandfather was a 19th-century painter, and his family still owns the summer house-cum-studio in the French region of Fontainebleau, where aspiring landscape artists often congregated. Paintings done by family members are still proudly displayed in their homes.

In his late teens, Lorinet took up photography and was later selected with fellow university students to work alongside renowned photographer Sebastião Salgado for a Magnum Photos project. Even as a student, he would buy posters of famous works such as those by Dutch Baroque master Johannes Vermeer, and as his means grew, his collection followed suit to include works by Sol LeWitt and Yayoi Kusama, among others. His recent acquisitions include pieces by Korean artists Nam June Paik and Haegue Yang.

Having benefited from artistic inspiration all his life, the French national, who was formerly in banking and commodity trading, and now sits on the boards of various organizations including Trafigura Group, Cocoon Capital Partners, Enterprise Singapore, and the National Arts Council (NAC), naturally feels a sense of responsibility towards building the local arts ecosystem.

He says, “I’ve always appreciated art in all its forms, whether it’s performance arts, music, or visual arts. So giving to the arts seems like a natural extension to support more creativity and organisations in developing their practice.” He has been based in Singapore with his wife Bolor and their three children since 2012.