Gregory Pages (1982) is the founder of the Vision Art Festival and co-founder of the cantonal urban art project Art Valais. His grandparents were already art collectors and had owned a flat in Crans-Montana since the 1960s, where Gregory spent the early years of his life and all his childhood winters. His father opened his first gallery in Baden-Baden in 1989, when Gregory was just seven years old. That same year, Gregory received his first work of art following a bet – an anecdote that marked the beginning of his own relationship with art. As a child, he rubbed shoulders with numerous artists, spent hours in their studios, gained an insight into the inner workings of the art market, helped out at art fairs and, a few years later, also worked as a sales assistant for other galleries.
Gregory, however, wanted to forge his own path. He studied art history and international relations in Madrid, whilst playing basketball at a high level. He then continued his studies in the United States, where he kept balancing his studies with sport. After several placements at the United Nations, life circumstances brought him back to Crans-Montana for a season as a ski instructor, giving him time to reflect on the next step in his career. In the end, skiing remained… and so did the suitcases. Still deeply committed to the sport, he has been actively involved for many years with the La Lienne Ski Club and the Swiss Ski School (ESS) in Crans-Montana.
In 2008, he opened an art gallery on Rue du Prado in Crans-Montana. In 2011, he and his brother opened a gallery on the Grand-Rue in Geneva. A keen enthusiast of street art, in 2014 he founded the Vision Art Festival, the first urban art festival of its kind in the mountains. He is also a co-founder of Art Valais, a cantonal project aimed at promoting urban art and artistic interventions in public spaces throughout Valais.
As part of Same Group, which he co-founded with his business partner, Gregory leads numerous artistic projects in Switzerland and internationally. The company organises exhibitions in Crans-Montana and throughout Switzerland, whilst also curating exhibitions and artistic projects in Spain, the United States, Turkey and Germany, in collaboration with artists, galleries, institutions and collectors.
