Villa Vassilieff

Bétonsalon - Center for Art and Research offers a space of collective reflection that combines both artistic and academic practices, and questions the production and dissemination of knowledge. We develop our activities in a process-based, collaborative, and discursive manner, following different time spans, in cooperation with various local, national, and international organizations. Exhibitions are enriched by different associated events (workshops, conferences, performances, round table discussions...). We organize seminars and workshops in collaboration with faculty members from the Paris Diderot University. We lead off-site research projects in partnership with other institutions, and offer residency programs for researchers, artists, and curators.

Bétonsalon – Center for Art and Research is a non-profit organization established in Paris in 2003. Since 2007, Bétonsalon has been located on the campus of the Paris Diderot University. In 2016, we launched the Académie Vivante (Living Academy) program, an experimental research laboratory within the Epigenetics and Cell Fate unit (CNRS / Université Paris Diderot) that invites artists in residency. This same year, we launched Villa Vassillieff, our second site of activities, in the former studio of artist Marie Vassilieff, located in the heart of the Montparnasse neighborhood. Until 2013, this location was the Museum of Montparnasse. Villa Vassilieff is a cultural establishment of the City of Paris.

Villa Vassilieff intends to reconnect with the history of its location by inviting artists and researchers to take a contemporary look at the heritage of Montparnasse. Our exhibitions and public programs focus on exploring lesser-known resources and aim at re-writing and diversifying historical art narratives. Among many grant and residency opportunities, we joined forces with our leading sponsor Pernod Ricard to create the Pernod Ricard Fellowship, a residency program inviting four international artists, curators, or researchers every year in the Villa’s studio. We collaborate closely with museums and curators to design tailor-made research projects and bring innovative perspectives, as illustrated by the ongoing Marc Vaux program jointly led by Villa Vassilieff and Centre Pompidou’s Kandinsky Library.