This Collector Is Giving Madagascar's Art Scene a Global Spotlight

In 2019, Madagascar made its grand debut at the Venice Biennale. Think of it as the Olympics for art, but with more critical stares and fewer sweatbands. This wasn't some government initiative; it was largely thanks to one man: Hasnaine Yavarhoussen, a Malagasy art collector and entrepreneur who decided his country's art deserved a bigger stage.

Rewind to 2018. Yavarhoussen, who readily admits he didn't know much about Malagasy art at the time, met artist Joël Andrianomearisoa. That conversation didn't just convince him to fund the pavilion; it sparked a full-blown mission. "What would be the impact on Madagascar?" he wondered. Apparently, the answer was: a lot.

From Zero to Global Art Hero

Inspired, Yavarhoussen founded Fonds Yavarhoussen in 2019, dedicated to promoting Malagasy art and culture worldwide. The Venice Biennale sponsorship was its inaugural project. Because apparently, when you decide to do something, you start with one of the most prestigious art events on the planet.

Then came Hakanto Contemporary. Cofounded by Yavarhoussen and Andrianomearisoa in 2020, it started as a small art space in Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo. Now? It occupies a nearly 2,000-square-foot renovated warehouse, hosting exhibitions, residencies, and workshops. It's not just creating a local art scene; it's putting Madagascar on the global art map.

Their recent projects include a 400-work survey of Pierrot Men, whom Yavarhoussen calls "the most known Malagasy photographer today." Which, if you think about it, is a pretty good way to ensure your local art scene has a solid foundation.

The Accidental Collector Who Came Home

Yavarhoussen isn't just an art patron; he's the CEO of Groupe Filatex, a Malagasy powerhouse in real estate, hospitality, healthcare, and sustainable energy – providing roughly one-third of Madagascar’s power. So, you know, he’s not exactly short on things to do.

His own collecting journey started innocently enough in the late 2000s after visiting a friend's gallery in Paris. His father nudged him to buy a piece, and the rest, as they say, is a collection of over 500 works. He now focuses on "relocalization" – bringing modern Malagasy art that left the country around its 1960 independence back home. Because some art just belongs where it started.

Fonds Yavarhoussen also backs Malagasy artists abroad, partners with French museums, and even co-produced a project for the Venice Dance Biennale. They also offer the Yavarhoussen Scholarship, which, in collaboration with a Parisian institute, researches and publishes books on Malagasy art history. Because if you’re going to put art on the map, you might as well write the map, too.

The impact is already clear: Andrianomearisoa joined a top gallery in 2023 and is nominated for France's highest art award in 2026. Yavarhoussen even donated one of Andrianomearisoa's works to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it went on display in 2025. Because some art belongs in the Met, not in a box.

He regularly loans works from his collection to international spaces like the Ludwig Museum in Germany and Wiels in Belgium. His philosophy? Art should be "shared and seen," not gathering dust. It's about breathing new life into a collection, and by extension, an entire nation's artistic presence. And if you ask Yavarhoussen, reflecting on his work since 2019, "I think we’ve fulfilled our mission." Which, given the global splash, seems like a bit of an understatement.