At Art Gstaad 2026, held 19 to 22 February under the Festival-Zelt in the Bernese Alps, the MAZE/Art Awards F.P.Journe recognized Brazilian artist Sonia Gomes for “Untitled, 2024”, presented by Mendes Wood DM. The distinction comes with F.P.Journe’s acquisition of the work, to be subsequently proposed to the Kunstmuseum Basel. Good art travels well. Good patronage makes sure it does.
The jury was compact and international: Tatyana Franck, President of L’Alliance New York; Stephanie Seidel, Head of Contemporary Art at the Kunstmuseum Basel; and Maja Hoffmann, Founder and President of the LUMA Foundation. A focused committee for a focused fair.
Art Gstaad sits within MAZE’s constellation of human-scale fairs, favoring a rigorous curatorial approach over spectacle. This edition gathered Landau Fine Art, De Jonckheere, Pace, Thaddaeus Ropac, Capitain Petzel, Mendes Wood DM, Semiose, Mennour, Hélène Bailly Marcilhac and Jousse Entreprise. On view were museum-grade dialogues between eras: from Roy Lichtenstein, Alberto Giacometti, Fernand Léger and Pieter Brueghel the Younger to Eric Fischl, Loie Hollowell and Monica Bonvicini, with twentieth century design led by Charlotte Perriand.
F.P.Journe frames this partnership as long-horizon patronage, moving works thoughtfully within an ecosystem of fairs and institutions. The maison sums its stance with “A.R.T.” – Authenticity, Rarity, Talent. In watchmaking, those words are not slogans but workshop disciplines. In art, they read as a pledge to continuity rather than noise.
There is a quiet symmetry here. Journe’s movements favor mechanical honesty and lasting construction; MAZE privileges intent and context over volume. An award, an acquisition, a proposal to a public collection – small steps, carefully placed. The kind a watchmaker would appreciate.
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