A Fonds régional d'art contemporain (Frac) is a public regional collection of contemporary art set in one of the metropolitan or overseas regions of France. There are currently 23 Fracs across the country, organised into a national network called Platform since 2005. Fracs are funded by regions, by the state through the Ministry of Culture and by municipalities. Originally without venues, Fracs are now hosted in repurposed historical buildings, or in specifically-built art museums, depending on the size of their collection.
Founding and history
Fracs were founded by culture minister Jack Lang, as part of a decentralization policy to move aspects of governance out to regional governments. Starting in 1982, regional funds were set up to promote and encourage contemporary art by forming regional collections, and engaging in outreach to local communities and cultural institutions. For instance, it has often supported the creation of projects following the Protocol of the New patrons in France, developing over sixty artworks commissioned by local inhabitants.
The goals of the Frac program are:
- To build a heritage of contemporary art in the region, and support the creation of new art through the combined actions of acquisitions and commissioning works. Each Frac may decide to specialize in a particular category of contemporary art.
- To disseminate funds widely within each region, developing regular partnerships with cultural institutions, local authorities and schools.
- To raise broad awareness in contemporary art methods, through tours, speakers, events with artists, and workshops with young people.
Next generation
Starting in 2011, the Frac next generation programme set out plans to build new physical museums for several of these collections:
- Bretagne (Rennes, designed by architect Odile Decq, opened July 6, 2012)
- Centre-Val de Loire (Orléans, designed by architects Jakob + MacFarlane, opened September 5, 2013)
- Franche-Comté (Besançon, designed by architect Kengo Kuma, opened April 6, 2013)
- Grand Large – Hauts-de-France (Dunkerque, designed by architects Lacaton et Vassal, opened November 16, 2013)
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine MÉCA (Bordeaux, designed by architects Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and FREAKS, opened June 28, 2019)
- Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (Marseille, designed by architect Kengo Kuma, opened March 22, 2013)
Frac collections
The 23 Frac collections, as of 2015:
References
- The 23 regional collections or contemporary art, website lescollectionsdesfrac.fr.
- "PLATFORM : Regroupement des Fonds régionaux d'art contemporain". Les collections des Frac. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
- ^ "About Platform - Missions". www.frac-platform.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-26. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
- ^ "Nouvelles Architectures". parisART (in French). Retrieved 2021-02-19.
- "FRAC : Next Generation". parisART (in French). Retrieved 2021-02-19.
- "Nouvelles architectures - Fonds régionaux pour l'art contemporain". Centre Pompidou (in French). Retrieved 2021-02-19.
- "Team BIG+FREAKS Wins Competition for New Cultural Center in Bordeaux". Bustler. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- Collection du Frac Alsace Archived 2016-08-19 at the Wayback Machine, sur Videomusem, au 16 juin 2009.
- Collection FRAC Auvergne, consulté le 22 mai 2011
- Collection du Frac Bretagne Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, sur Videomuseum, au 29 janvier 2009.
- Collection du Frac Centre
- Collection du Frac Champagne-Ardenne Archived 2016-06-20 at the Wayback Machine, sur Videomuseum, au 1er octobre 2009.
- Présentation, sur le site du Frac de Franche-Comté.
- Collection du Frac Île-de-France, sur Navigart, au 25 août 2015.
- Collection du Frac Languedoc-Roussillon Archived 2016-08-19 at the Wayback Machine, sur Videomuseum, au 31 août 2007
- Collection du Frac Limousin, sur Videomuseum, au 7 juin 2007.
- Collection du FRAC Lorraine
- Collection du Frac Midi-Pyrénées / Les Abattoirs Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, sur Videomuseum, au 7 août 2008.
- Collection du Frac Nord-Pas-de-Calais Archived 2016-08-19 at the Wayback Machine, sur Videomuseum, au 6 avril 2009.
- Collection du Frac Basse-Normandie, sur Videomuseum, au 26 mars 2009.
- Collection du Frac Picardie Archived 2016-08-19 at the Wayback Machine, sur Videomuseum, au 12 octobre 2009.
- Collection du Frac Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Archived 2010-04-13 at the Wayback Machine, sur Videomuseum, au 16 février 2009.