Diane Launier is considered a prominent personality in the artistic world, the Neuchâtel Fantastique Foundation said on Friday. On December 1, she will take the helm of the entity intended to bring Art, science and technological innovation into dialogue, the press release specifies.
The future director was chosen by the foundation following a broad call for applications. She is also described as passionate about artistic and cultural transmission, but also about the bridges between art history and the creative industries.
For winter 2025-2026
Diane Launier founded in Paris the first art gallery in the world dedicated to contemporary art from concept works of cinema, animation, comics, manga and video games. She is also at the origin of the Musée Art Ludique, of which she was the general director.
Created in 2013, this pioneering place dedicated to the creative industries attracted 400,000 visitors in the first year. The Tour du Fantastique is due to see the light of day in the winter of 2025-2026, in the former prisons of Neuchâtel, currently in the midst of redevelopment work.
The redevelopment work, financed by the State and the City of Neuchâtel, started as planned this summer in the former prisons of Neuchâtel. The building actually contained cells that had been disused for more than 20 years. It is connected to the medieval tower, which for its part is not affected by the construction site.
Work by John Howe
These cells are being deconstructed to create new exhibition spaces. It is also planned to create an entrance which will lead directly into the interior courtyard between the medieval tower and the prison building. A place for catering and relaxation, with a shop, will also be created.
The work of John Howe, a figure in the illustration of the world of JRR Tolkien and the adaptation of his works to the screen, constitutes an important contribution to the project. The Neuchâtel Fantastique Foundation was created by the State and City of Neuchâtel, the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) and John Howe himself.
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