About us

The Centre national des arts plastiques (Cnap) is a public institution attached to the French Ministry of Culture. It fosters and supports artistic creation in France in all areas of the visual arts: painting, performance art, sculpture, photography, installation art, video, multimedia, graphic arts, design and graphic design. It follows young artists closely, provides expertise and support to the emergence of new forms, and assists artists and contemporary art professionals.

On behalf of the French State, it expands and manages a major French national contemporary art collection. This collection of unique scale currently holds over 107,000 works by 22,000 artistes and is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current art scene. The management and conservation of the Cnap’s collection, acquired over the last two centuries, mobilises specialised skills and numerous areas of expertise.

Another of Cnap’s roles is to bring the acquired works to the broadest audience possible through short-term loans, long-term loans to museums and government buildings, and the co-production of events in France and internationally. Each year, the Centre national des arts plastiques lends some 2,500 works from its collection.

As a cultural partner for museums, schools, art centers and private organisations such as foundations, Cnap purpose-develops “plug and play” exhibitions, from planning through to production, installation and facilitation. Through all these activities, the Centre national des arts plastiques promotes and makes known contemporary artistic creation, as well as opening new horizons.

Press release
Dernière mise à jour le 15 janvier 2024