It was thanks to the artist César that I was able to meet Azzedine Alaïa in Paris in 1987. I admired his style and his audacity, for a Mediterranean born in Tunis, to work on a sublimated vision of the female body. Even then, I was secretly hoping for Alaïa as President, mentor and support to lead me in the creation of the Musée de la Mode and the Institut Mode Méditerranée (IMM). César was close to my ex-husband, Robert P. Vigouroux, Mayor of Marseille (1986/1995). With Bernard Blistène, we owe them the "César Marseille 1993" exhibition at the Vieille Charité, which foreshadowed an even greater project: the creation of the Fondation César! I'd like to share with you a quote by Robert P. Vigouroux that appeared in the exhibition catalog: "Which of us would not have dreamed that this distant glory would suddenly be so close to us, which of us would have thought that one hundred and eighty-six works could constitute one of the most important donations ever made? Unfortunately, this was a project that the next municipality did not pursue. My friendship with César lasted until his death, and continues to this day through the Fondation César, presided over by my friend Stéphanie Busutill-Janssen.
