Painters, sculptors and other visual artists regularly host open days at their studios and galleries. The general public can come to admire their work, meet the artists and discover venues steeped in history and creative energy located in different districts of Paris. Artists are generally grouped into a neighbourhood association, which provides a map and an itinerary to guide visitors. The itinerary is updated every year.
With 120 venues featuring work by 250 artists, the Belleville artists’ studios are the most numerous in Paris. Their open days are held usually on the last weekend in May. The Père Lachaise artists hold usually their open days in early May. In the west of Paris, the association Seiziem'Art brings together more than 70 artists from this district of the capital. Every year, usually in October, it organises the open days for artists from the 16th arrondissement.
The 87 workshops of Les Frigos - in the 13th arrondissement - have been rented out since 1985 to about a hundred people of all professions, a variety unique in Europe ranging from jewellers to sewing classes and artists of all disciplines. Visits can be requested by direct contact through the website les-frigos.com. Usually end-September is when the Ménilmontant artists’ studios hold their open days. In the Montmartre district, La Cité Montmartre aux Artistes is an artists’ community with 18 studios which can be visited usually in October. In the heart of Paris, a stone's throw from the Samaritaine, the 59Rivoli has 30 artists' studios - 15 permanent and 15 temporary - and an exhibition area. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday.
Arts and craft workshops are also open to the public several times a year for various events along the Viaduc des Arts. The European Artistic Crafts Days are held usually in April each year. Not forgetting the very rich programme of the Cité Internationale des Arts to be found on its two sites - one in the Marais, the other in Montmartre - which allows the public to discover the work of the artists in residence.
There are also hybrid venues such as L'Impasse or Galerie Deux6. The first is a restaurant in the 11th arrondissement which houses an artist's studio under a beautiful Eiffel glass roof. The second is an art gallery in the very chic 7th arrondissement which is also the studio of the artist Tomadee (Thomas Chedeville).
Art schools in Paris can also be visited free of cost during their annual Open Days. Visitors can admire works by students at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Ecole Boulle.
Greater Paris is also home to important artists' studios to visit. Let's mention the Centre Tignous d'Art Contemporain in Montreuil, which actively participates in the open days of the artists' studios in Montreuil. Located in the commune of Saint-Denis, 6b is a creative space which organises numerous events throughout the year. Finally, in the south of the capital, in Issy-les-Moulineaux, Le Cube is dedicated to digital arts and invites the public - young and old - to meet the artists through exhibitions, meetings, performances...
