The Cité internationale des arts is an

artist-in-residence Artist-in-residence (also Writer-in-residence), or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs that involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs that pr ...

building complex which accommodates artists of all specialities and nationalities in Paris. It comprises two sites, one located in

the Marais The Marais (Le Marais ; "the marsh") is a historic district in Paris, France. It spreads across parts of the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, 3rd and 4th arrondissement of Paris, 4th Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements on the Rive Droit ...

and the other in

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

. Approximately 1,200 artists, choreographers, musicians, writers, and designers from around the world live and work in the Cité internationale des arts every year. Residencies are generally a year long.

History and description

The idea for the ''Cité internationale des arts'' was first proposed by the Finnish artist Eero Snellman (1890-1951) at the 1937 ''

Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne The ''Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne'' (International Exposition of Art and Technology in Modern Life) was held from 25 May to 25 November 1937 in Paris, France. Both the Palais de Chaillot, housing the Mu ...

''. After the Second World War, Félix and Simone Brunau worked to bring the idea to fruition by turning it into a real project. The fledging project took the form of an association created in 1947 which benefited from the support of the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...

and the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

as well as the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute ...

and the City of Paris. It had its first headquarters at the Ministry of Culture on

rue de Valois The Rue de Valois () is a street in the Palais-Royal quarter in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. Description The 377-meter-long-street starts at 202, Rue Saint-Honoré and ends at 1, Rue de Beaujolais. It has a north-south orientation ...

before moving to 18 rue de l'Hôtel de Ville in the 4th arrondissement, the City of Paris, having been granted an

emphyteutic lease (Greek, 'implanting') or emphyteutic lease is a contract for land that allows the holder the right to the enjoyment of a property, often in perpetuity, on condition of proper care, payment of tax and rent. This type of real estate contract speci ...

for the construction of a set of live-work spaces. Officially opening in 1956, the ''Cité internationale des arts'' offers residency workshops known as "living workshops" () designed for work and housing, located at two main sites. One, located in

(rue de l'Hôtel-de-Ville opposite

île Saint-Louis Île Saint-Louis (), in size, is one of two natural islands in the Seine river, in Paris, France (the other natural island is the Île de la Cité, where Notre-Dame de Paris is located). Île Saint-Louis is connected to the rest of Paris by fo ...

) includes the first building from 1965 as well as buildings whose renovation was completed in 1995, while the second is located in

, at 16 rue Girardon. The Marais location site was the work of architects

Paul Tournon Paul Tournon (b. 19 February 1881 – 22 December 1964) was a French architect. He was born in Marseille and died in Paris. He was an architect in chief of many French civil buildings and national palaces, and a member of the Académie des Beau ...

Ngo Viet Thu A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

and

Olivier-Clément Cacoub Olivier-Clément Cacoub, (born April 14, 1920, in Tunis, and died April 27, 2008, in Paris), was a French architect of Tunisian-Jewish origin, known for working in the International Style and Brutalism. Career He studied at the Lycée de Tunis ...

Cultural programmes

For nearly half a century, the Brunaus ran and developed the ''Cité internationale des arts''. By establishing a cultural programme and privatising its spaces (auditorium, gallery), this structure can host events organised either with the artists in residence, or partner and non-partner structures of the Foundation. The ''Cité internationale des arts'' also has collective workshops for

visual art The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and texti ...

ists and rehearsal studios for musicians. Its residency programs are aimed at French and foreign artists who wish to work in Paris. The Foundation has accommodated more than 15,000 artists since its foundation.La ''Cité internationale des arts''
on Usagedumonde21.fr

Former residents

Louise Bourgeois Louise Joséphine Bourgeois (; 25 December 191131 May 2010) was a French-American artist. Although she is best known for her large-scale sculpture and installation art, Bourgeois was also a prolific painter and printmaker. She explored a varie ...

, artiste plasticienne *

Lygia Clark Lygia Pimentel Lins (23 October 1920 – 25 April 1988), better known as Lygia Clark, was a Brazilian artist best known for her painting and Installation art, installation work. She was often associated with the Brazilian Constructivist moveme ...

, artiste plasticienne *

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative rel ...

, auteur-compositeur-interprète *

Joan Jonas Joan Jonas (born July 13, 1936) is an American visual artist and a pioneer of video and performance art, "a central figure in the performance art movement of the late 1960s".Jagoda Buic, artiste textile * Vadim Kozovoï, poète et traducteur russe * Carlos Braché (1938-), artiste peintre péruvien *

Anne Queffélec Anne Queffélec (born 17 January 1948) is a French classical pianist, born in Paris. Biography Anne Queffélec is the daughter of Henri Queffélec and sister of Yann Queffélec, both noted writers. Her brother Hervé Queffélec is a mathema ...

, pianiste * ORLAN, artiste plasticienne *

Martha Wilson Martha Wilson (born 1947 in Newtown, Pennsylvania) is an American feminist performance artist and the founding director of Franklin Furnace Archive art organization. Over decades she has developed and "created innovative photographic and vide ...

, artiste performeuse *

Béatrice Casadesus Béatrice Casadesus (born 1 January 1942) is a French painter and sculptor, and professor at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Biography Born Béatrice Probst to actress Gisèle Casadesus and actor Lucien Pascal ...

, peintre et sculptrice *

Carrie Mae Weems Carrie Mae Weems (born April 20, 1953) is an American artist working in text, fabric, audio, digital images and Video installation, installation video, and is best known for her photography. She achieved prominence through her early 1990s photog ...

, photographe *

Kimsooja Kimsooja (; born 1957) was born in Daegu, South Korea. Kimsooja is a multi-disciplinary conceptual artist who travels between her three homes and places of work in New York City, Paris, and Seoul. In 1980 Kim graduated with a B.F.A in Painting ...

, artiste conceptuelle * Peter Gnass, sculpteur *

Tatiana Trouvé Tatiana Trouvé (born 4 August, 1968) is a French-Italian visual artist based in Paris. She works on large-scale installations, sculptures, and drawings. Her artwork contemplates "the uncertain boundary between fiction and reality, the mental ...

, artiste *

Zanele Muholi Zanele Muholi (born 1972) is a South African artist and visual activist working in photography, video, and installation. Muholi's work focuses on race, gender and sexuality with a body of work that dates back to the early 2000s, documenting and ...

, photographe *

Grégory Chatonsky Grégory Chatonsky (May 4, 1971) is a French and Canadian Artist who works with interactive installations, networked devices, photographs and sculptures. He explores the relationship between technologies and affectivity creating new forms of ficti ...

, artiste visuel * Ishola Akpo, photographe et artiste multimédia * Douraïd Souissi, photographe (résident en 2016) * Hicham Berrada, artiste * Juan Gugger, plasticien *

Emma Daumas Manuelle "Emma" Daumas (born 23 November 1983, in Avignon) is a French singer-songwriter and performer, particularly well known for her participation in ''Star Academy''. Career Daumas grew up in a family of music lovers. Her passion for music ...

, chanteuse - compositrice * Laurent Derobert, mathématicien et artiste * Fann Attiki, écrivain (résident 2024)

References

External links

on Commons

Official website
{{Authority control Arts in Paris Arts centres in France Buildings and structures in the 4th arrondissement of Paris Buildings and structures completed in 1965 1965 establishments in France Arts foundations based in Europe Artist residencies