France. While the report commissioned from Martin Bethenod had scuttled the idea of a “ national foundation for contemporary art of which the Heritage Foundation could be a source of inspiration » envisaged by Rachida Dati, this has (in return?) diluted the proposals of the former director of the International Contemporary Art Fair (FIAC). She thus paradoxically set aside the principle of a leader in the implementation of support for the French scene that Martin Bethenod logically wanted to entrust to the CNAP. The same National Center for Visual Arts is invited to increase its acquisitions of works by artists from the French scene to 80%, where the author of the report envisaged 100%.
The minister was also careful not to set quantitative objectives for the exhibition of artists from the French scene at the Center Pompidou (Martin Bethenod mentioned a quota of around 50%), preferring to refer this discussion to the discretion of the Centre’s objectives and performance contract, currently being renewed for the period until 2029. Indicators which will have no consequences since the Center will not reopen until 2030.
No quota either for a major international event organized by the Palais de Tokyo “designed as a dialogue between works from the French scene and the international scene” which is likely to resemble Okwui Enwezor’s 2012 Triennale where the French scene was a substitute. The minister’s plan remains unclear on the location of this event, which would be held in the fall of 2027. “in Paris and Greater Paris”at least not at the Palais de Tokyo since in principle it must close in 2027 for at least eighteen months of work.
And if the plan takes up the report’s proposals regarding the reception of foreign curators in residence in the Regional Contemporary Art Funds (Frac) and art centers, it does not give a budgetary indication on this program. It also ignores the European production centers designed as spearheads of the French scene abroad.
Ultimately, the plan lacks momentum and ambition and risks disappointing those who are calling for real support from artists on the French scene. A label that is nevertheless very elastic since it covers everyone who has a workshop in France. It is true that the ministry does not have much budgetary margin for 2026 and beyond. It is expected that its payment appropriations for the Culture mission will drop by more than 4% (if parliamentarians agree) while those reserved for the visual arts remain stable at around 154 million euros.
