Jean Altounian is vice-president of the Centre d’Art Contemporain in Geneva, which he has presided for over 25 years until two years ago. Founded in 1974, the Centre is the first contemporary-art institution in French-speaking Switzerland and has been a space for production, research and experiment in art. Its purpose is to develop exhibitions and to actively put the public in contact with these exhibitions, with a view to opening up a space for dialogue around contemporary culture, as well as to publish art catalogues and books. Unlike a museum, it has no collection. Focusing on the future, it showcases emerging artists from the local and the international scene. Altounian is also on the board of Fluxum Foundation, a private Swiss foundation that supports artistic projects mostly related to contemporary ballet. A Frenchman living in Switzerland for over 40 years, he has professionally been active in private banking and now runs his own asset management company.