Useful links
This page compiles different useful links for developing your activity as an artist or author in France.
General Resources
FRAAP (Fédération des réseaux et associations d’artistes plasticien·nes)
FRAAP is a professional organization that represents associations and collectives of visual artists (in France). Its website provides resources for artist associations and collectives (e.g., how to manage an association, organize an exhibition) and for individual artists (in particular, the Fraap-Infos newsletter). Newsletter (written in french) : Fraap-Infos).
ATA (Atlas des Autres Territoires de l’Art)
The Atlas of Other Territories of Art (ATA), created by FRAAP, identifies and maps out professional structures (associative, alternative, and intermediate spaces) in the visual arts sector across the country.
CNAP(Centre National des Arts Plastiques)
The website offers a “Professional Resource” section that covers various aspects of the artist-author profession: starting an artistic activity, production/sales-distribution (training, etc.), social security coverage, copyright, calls for applications and job offers, and regional resources.
The “Artiste-Auteur” Status
Artiste-auteur : affiliation et régime social sur Service-Public.fr
A concise and up-to-date presentation by the state on the social security system for artist-authors.
As an artist-author, work distributor, or art dealer, you have responsibilities and obligations to URSSAF. Find all the necessary information and tools to help you with your administrative procedures.
Sécurité sociale des Artistes Auteurs
The Social Security for Artist-Authors (formerly Agessa and Maison des artistes – sécurité sociale) is a social security body. Artist-authors are affiliated with the social security system for artist-authors, which is attached to the general social security system.
Droits d’auteur (Copyright)
Presentation of the 3 collective management organizations (SAIF, ADAGP, SCAM) for visual arts on the CNAP website.
SAIF (Société des Auteurs des Arts Visuels et de l’Image Fixe)
Née de la volonté des auteurs souhaitant défendre collectivement leurs droits, la Saif est une société civile dont la mission est de défendre, percevoir et répartir les droits des auteurs des arts visuels. Elle représente aujourd’hui plus de 8 500 auteurs et autrices de tous les arts visuels : architectes, designers, photographes, dessinateurs, illustrateurs, graphistes, peintres, plasticiens, sculpteurs
La Société des auteurs dans les arts graphiques et plastiques (ADAGP) est une société de gestion de droits d’auteur, chargée de percevoir et répartir les droits de ses adhérents, en fonction du champ d’adhésion qu’ils ont choisi : droit de reproduction et de représentation, droits collectifs, droit de suite.
Labor Unions
CAAP (Comité Pluridisciplinaire des Artistes-Auteurs et des Artistes-Autrices)
CAAP is a national labor union that defends the moral and material interests of artist-authors regardless of their artistic field.
SNAP CGT (Syndicat National des Artistes Plasticien·nes cgt)
Founded in 1977, SNAPcgt represents visual artist-authors and works to rebuild a true social security system and to create collective rights rather than individual privileges.
Finding a Studio
Temporary access to a shared studio
Le 100ecs (Établissement Culturel Solidaire) offers 800m² of shared, open-plan studios accessible by the day, half-day, etc., within a 1,800m² building dedicated to visual and performing arts in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, near the Gare de Lyon.
A studio in a “third place”
Spaces temporarily converted into artist studios (often for more or less short periods, specified in advance: generally 6 months to a few years max) are offered by structures such as Curry Vavart (shared creation spaces, residencies), Plateau Urbain (studios), SoukMachines (studios), Yes We Camp (third places), Liveo (third places).
Follow them on social media or subscribe to their newsletters; they regularly post calls for residencies or studio rental offers.
There are also independent artistic production spaces, or “artist-run spaces,” which often function as collectives organized into associations and may have studios for rent or organize residencies. Examples include Le 6B, DOC!, le Wonder, Le Laboratoire de la Création, le 59 Rivoli, La Générale du Nord Est, Pousch…
A residency for a few months
In Paris, residencies for artists are offered by La Cité Internationale des Arts, L’AiR Arts, Villa Belleville.
Near Paris, the Fiminco Fondation is offering residencies in Romainville.
The private market: classifieds ads
La plaque tournante des ateliers (Facebook group): many ads for offers and searches for studios, shared studios, shared offices…
Petites annonces de la Maison des Artistes: classified ads by category (studio offers, artist materials, calls for exhibitions…).
Studios from the City of Paris
The City of Paris allocates studios or live-work studios to professional artists (less than 1% of applications are successful). Information is available on Paris.fr.
Studio/gallery on the ground floor of social housing in Paris
Social landlords offer ground-floor premises, some of which can be rented by artists or craftspeople. You can contact the landlords directly (SIEMP, Paris Habitat, RIVP…), or the Paris City Hall website for Locaux commerciaux et bureaux à louer Locaux commerciaux et bureaux à louer lists premises offered by these landlords.
RésidencIes
The Centre National des Arts Plastiques (Cnap) published in 2025 a new edition of its guide Les Résidences d’arts visuels, that focuses on residencies for artists, exhibition curators, art critics, art theoreticians and art historians and is aimed at all those professionally involved with the visual arts.
English version to download from the CNAP website
Training and consulting
A platform offering services for artists, galleries, and businesses. You’ll find advice, calls for applications, training, etc.
Training, individual and group meetings, knowledge dissemination for artists, conferences.
Autres liens
International map of Artist-run spaces
La Buse is an independent collective founded in 2018, made up of art workers and allies, who examine the art world as a workplace.
