Paris has always been the capital of the arts, with certain neighbourhoods naturally becoming hotbeds for artists: Montmartre, Montparnasse, Belleville, etc. Even today, the residents are getting organised: on the banks of the canal Saint-Martin at the Point éphémère, at the Centre Les Récollets, or at the Frigos, in the former cold stores of the quartier de la Grande Bibliothèque. The site where the former Récollets convent once stood is also home to the [Maison de l'Architecture en Île-de-France]https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/maison-de-l-architecture-en-ile-de-france-p986), where numerous events centred on architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture are held.
In the 19th arrondissement, on the site of the former municipal funeral parlour, the Centquatre occupe près de 39 000 m². As part of its residency programmes, it hosts around forty artists and intellectuals from all over the world each year.
There are numerous artists’ studios and artist communities in Paris, much to the delight of contemporary art enthusiasts: the ateliers d’artistes de Belleville, the Bateau-Lavoir, the Villa des Arts and Montmartre aux Artistes - those three places located in Montmartre - the Cité fleurie in the 13th arrondissement, the Ateliers de Ménilmontant, the famous Ruche in the Montparnasse area, the Cité internationale des Arts in the Marais neighbourhood, the Ateliers du Père Lachaise, the Ateliers de Paris in the 12th arrondissement, the Fondation des artistes based in l’hôtel Salomon de Rothschild and which, in particular, manages the Maison d’art Bernard Anthonioz of Nogent-sur-Marne.
These premises are, first and foremost, workplaces. The public is invited to visit them only during one-off events or on open days: the journées portes ouvertes des ateliers d'artistes de Belleville, the Portes Ouvertes des Ateliers d’Artistes du Pré Saint-Gervais, the Portes ouvertes des ateliers d’artistes du Père Lachaise, the Journées portes ouvertes des ateliers de Ménilmontant, the Portes Ouvertes des Artistes du 16e, the Portes ouvertes d’Anvers aux Abbesses…
Across Greater Paris, other venues welcome artists and support them throughout the production of their artistic projects, such as La Maison des Arts de Malakoff, from the Maison Pop in Montreuil, the Laboratoires d’Aubervilliers, of 6b in Saint-Denis… À Arcueil, Le Lieu de l’Autre - Anis Gras has taken up residence in a former anisette distillery that has been converted into a space for creation, performance and exhibitions. The site is now home to numerous artists’ studios. This multidisciplinary venue organises exhibitions and performances, and also hosts creative projects and a music festival Bruits Blancs, a veritable laboratory of sound, visuals and literature. A workshop producing all manner of artistic objects, Nouveau Gare au Théâtre, in Vitry-sur-Seine, is a place for artists to live and exhibit their work. We should also mention the artists’ collective La Fonderie, based in Fontenay-sous-Bois.
And every year in September, to mark Plein Feux, les ateliers d’artistes d’Ivry-sur-Seine are opening their workshops to the general public. An event to note in your diaries!
