Why a 206-Year-Old Swiss Bank Is Doubling Down on Contemporary Art

Mirabaud extends Centre Pompidou partnership through 2027, backing final exhibition before renovation

Mirabaud has renewed its commitment to the Centre Pompidou in Paris, extending a partnership that began in 2022 for three more years. The family-owned Swiss bank is backing the museum’s last major exhibition before closing for renovation—a sprawling installation by German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans.

The decision offers insight into how private banks cultivate brand identity beyond traditional financial services marketing. For institutions competing on relationship quality rather than product pricing, cultural engagement provides differentiation in markets where basic wealth management capabilities have become commoditized.

“Contemporary art plays an essential role in our society by inviting us to re-evaluate the world and question ourselves,” said Lionel Aeschlimann, senior managing partner of Mirabaud Group. “We want to support exhibitions that will make their mark on art history and be accessible to as wide an audience as possible.”

Mirabaud Group renewed partnership with Centre Pompidou as the museum prepares to close its iconic building for extensive renovation work. The bank will support one exhibition annually through 2027 at leading Parisian institutions including the Louvre and Grand Palais.

Tillmans, the only photographer to win the Turner Prize, will occupy 6,000 square meters of the former Public Information Library space on the building’s second floor. The installation combines decades of photographic work with videos, sounds, texts and performances exploring themes from astronomical observations to counterculture aesthetics.

Cultural sponsorship strategies vary among wealth managers. Some focus narrowly on events accessible only to high-net-worth clients, while others pursue broader public engagement. Mirabaud’s approach leans toward the latter, backing exhibitions with mass appeal rather than exclusive private viewings.

“We are honoured to support the Centre Pompidou’s final exhibition before this iconic cultural and educational venue closes for renovation,” said Stéphane Jaouen, director of Mirabaud wealth management in France. “Wolfgang Tillmans’s work embodies a freedom of vision, a constant search for meaning and an openness to the world that resonate with our values.”

The bank has built an art collection over decades while partnering with institutions worldwide. Beyond the Centre Pompidou, Mirabaud serves as a founding member and long-term partner of Geneva’s Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMCO). Other sponsored entities include the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Bechtler Foundation in Uster, and the Cerezales Foundation in Spain.

Art market engagement also provides networking opportunities with collectors, entrepreneurs and executives who comprise core wealth management client segments. Exhibitions create natural touchpoints for client entertainment and business development that feel less transactional than formal investment presentations.

The Swiss private bank has maintained cultural commitments even while expanding business operations across Europe and Latin America. The firm opened locations in São Paulo and Montevideo in 2019, adding to an existing footprint spanning Switzerland, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Luxembourg, Montreal and Dubai.

For family-owned institutions, cultural patronage often reflects personal interests of controlling shareholders rather than calculated marketing strategies. Mirabaud’s seven generations of family leadership have shaped an identity intertwining financial services with artistic engagement.

The timing coincides with other initiatives positioning the bank for growth. Recent appointments include Émilie Serrurier-Hoël as CEO of European operations and Ricardo Castillo as head of investments for the wealth management division. A partnership with Oquendo Corporate extends mergers and acquisitions advisory capabilities in Spain.

Cultural partnerships carry reputational benefits but limited direct revenue impact. Museums gain financial support while sponsors access association with prestigious institutions and avant-garde artistic movements. Whether such investments generate measurable client acquisition or retention remains difficult to quantify.

Tillmans’ work explores tensions between analog and digital photography, capturing what the artist describes as the fragility of the physical world while celebrating photosensitive material approaching obsolescence. His aesthetic universe draws from early astronomical observations and 1990s counterculture, evolving into contemporary explorations of humanism and coexistence.

The Centre Pompidou partnership demonstrates sustained commitment rather than one-off sponsorship. Three-year agreements provide stability for institutions while allowing corporate sponsors to evaluate program effectiveness before renewal decisions.

Wealth managers increasingly compete on values alignment and shared worldviews with clients rather than purely financial metrics. Cultural engagement signals openness, creativity and long-term thinking—attributes that resonate with entrepreneurial clients managing complex wealth transitions.

Mirabaud’s four managing partners—Camille Vial, Yves Mirabaud, Nicolas Mirabaud and Lionel Aeschlimann—maintain direct involvement in operations, strategy and management. Their combined oversight enables faster decision-making on initiatives like cultural partnerships compared to banks navigating committee-driven approval processes.

The bank describes contemporary art as encouraging viewers to look beyond appearances and explore new perspectives. Similar language appears in marketing materials emphasizing personalized wealth management and customized investment approaches—suggesting cultural values alignment extends beyond public relations.

Whether cultural patronage translates into competitive advantage remains an open question. Yet for institutions like Mirabaud operating at modest scale compared to global banking giants, differentiation through authentic values expression may prove more valuable than marginal improvements in fee structures or product features.