Culture Minister Rachida Dati's ambitious plan to create a major foundation for French contemporary art has been effectively shelved following recommendations from a comprehensive report. The study, commissioned by Dati and conducted by Martin Bethenod, concludes that such a foundation would be unnecessary and potentially destabilizing to existing cultural institutions.
Dati had announced in January during her annual press conference her intention to establish "a major foundation for French contemporary art, based on a public-private legal model comparable to the Heritage Foundation." However, doubts about the effectiveness of this new structure prompted her to commission Bethenod in March to conduct what was officially described as a study on strengthening the French artistic scene.
Bethenod brings considerable expertise to the assessment, having previously served as director of the International Contemporary Art Fair (FIAC) and later the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection. He also co-authored a 2008 report on developing France's art market. Despite the brevity of his mission, Bethenod reached clear conclusions in his report, made public in July, determining that such a foundation would be unnecessary, face uncertain funding, and have destabilizing effects on existing structures.
Instead of creating a new foundation, the report proposes giving greater responsibilities to an existing institution: the National Center for Visual Arts (CNAP). This approach echoes a 2011 initiative by then-Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand, who announced "15 measures for visual arts" including a "federating role for CNAP." However, this time the measures are more concrete and specific.
The most significant recommendation calls for CNAP to dedicate its entire acquisition budget to artists from the French scene, whereas currently only half is allocated to them. This recommendation would be implemented experimentally for three years, though the report does not specify what factors would determine whether the experiment continues beyond that period. CNAP, currently directed by Béatrice Salmon whose mandate ends on October 31, 2025, is also encouraged to strengthen its information website and services for contemporary art world actors while simplifying its support mechanisms, particularly for galleries.
The report establishes a broad definition of the "French scene" that includes foreign artists living and working in France. Both the Centre Pompidou and Palais de Tokyo are called upon to support this expanded French scene. While the Centre Pompidou can continue acquiring international artists, it is asked to exhibit at least 40% artists from the French scene, following the model of the Palais de Tokyo, which is held up as an exemplary case.
The Palais de Tokyo is invited to organize an exhibition supporting the French scene, though the report does not define specific modalities. It does, however, reference the "good" example of the 2012 Triennial and the "bad examples" of the two previous editions in 2006 and 2009 titled "La Force de l'art." Notably, the 2012 Triennial, directed by Okwui Enwezor, was distinguished by its postcolonial dimension and featured a vast majority of artists from foreign scenes.
Recommendations for supporting the French scene beyond national borders are less ambitious, even though the report correctly notes that "the share of artists from the French scene remains marginal in the prescriptive sphere and director market that is the United States." The report suggests that art schools invite more foreign professors and that Regional Contemporary Art Funds (FRACs) and art centers host more associated international curators, hoping that once these professionals return to their countries, they will promote the better-known French scene.
While this reasoning is sound, such a system can only produce concrete effects over several years. For more immediate impact, the report mentions the little-known European Production Poles (PEP), renamed in May as "International Production and Distribution Poles (PIPD)." These poles operate somewhat like the Gulbenkian Foundation, which finances exhibitions and catalogs of Portuguese artists in contemporary art venues across many countries, but with less of the characteristically French bureaucratic complexity.
These poles group several structures that pool their resources to produce shows abroad. Until now, the former PEPs only concerned live performance. The 11 new PIPDs now include a visual arts pole called "Ecotone," consisting of the Regional Contemporary Art Fund (FRAC) and the Contemporary Visual Arts Center (CAPC) of Bordeaux, along with the Contemporary Art Center of Ivry-sur-Seine (Crédac). The additional subsidy given to Ecotone for producing exhibitions abroad remains unknown, but the report proposes inspiring similar arrangements for other FRACs and art centers, suggesting an annual budget of 200,000 to 400,000 euros, or about 20,000 euros per labeled venue.
Bethenod, with contributions from Anne-Marie Le Guével, general inspector of cultural affairs, made the effort to calculate the cost of certain measures. The total is not enormous – less than 5 million euros, with more than two-thirds allocated for a new Triennial. The refocusing of CNAP acquisitions would inject approximately 800,000 euros into the circuit. This is far from the 30 million euros of the forgettable and unrenewal "major public commission" from the recovery plan, renamed "New Worlds."
The report focuses exclusively on supply and not at all on demand, particularly collectors. The art community now awaits decisions that will be made by the current minister or her successor. The comprehensive study represents a significant shift in France's approach to supporting contemporary art, favoring the strengthening of existing institutions over the creation of new ones.
