The venues selected are mainly devoted to contemporary art and:
- - have exhibited a large number of artists represented by the leading French galleries;
- - have proven to be springboards for helping artists access these same galleries;
- - are frequently mentioned or discussed in certain well-established French contemporary art journals (for instance Art Press, le Journal des Arts, Beaux-arts Magazine, Mouvement, etc.);
- - are “dynamic” (at least three exhibitions per year);
- - have been active for more than six years;
- - have an international outlook: at least one third of the artists they represent are overseas artists, and they use English for venue publicity and communication;
- - are “dynamic” (at least four exhibitions per year);
- - have a “non-specialized” outlook (not committed to any particular medium of contemporary art): art centers and museums devoted to a particular medium (photography, video, drawing, painting, performance, etc.) are not included here;
- - has a decisive role in lauching, confirming or consecrating the career of an artist.
They have been classified in three categories:
- - Contemporary art museums: public institutions which collect, exhibit, finance and commission works of art by contemporary artists;
- - Art centers: public institutions which exhibit, finance and commission works of art by contemporary artists;
- - Foundations or collections: private institutions which exhibit, finance, commission and/or collect artworks by contemporary artists.
MAIN FRENCH VENUES SELECTED
Contemporary art museums