Support for Research in Art Theory and Criticism

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Support for Research in Art Theory and Criticism by Centre national des arts plastiques

Application deadline: 30 June 2026

The Centre national des arts plastiques (National Centre for Visual Arts) supports art historians, theorists, and critics whose work is validated by the publication of articles or books in the field of contemporary art. This research support is intended primarily to reinforce the author’s place within the professional field or to enable their development in line with objectives they have set for themselves.

The research must begin no later than 6 months after the date of the committee meeting and must be completed within a maximum period of 18 months from that date.

The disciplines covered by this support are: decorative arts, sound creation, design, graphic design, drawing, printmaking, engraving, installation, new media, painting, performance, photography, sculpture, video.

Application submission period: from April 7 to June 30, 2026, at 1:00 PM, for the committee meeting of October 27 and 28, 2026.

Eligibility Criteria

This support is intended for French art historians, theorists, and critics, regardless of their country of residence, as well as foreign nationals residing in France, who have completed their training and can provide evidence of prior work.

Applications from art historians, theorists, and critics are eligible if they:

are artist-authors or self-employed workers;
have not received support for research in art theory and criticism from the Cnap during the two calendar years preceding the year of the application;
have not received an unfavorable decision on an application for support for research in art theory and criticism from the Cnap during the calendar year preceding the year of the application;
do not receive other public grants or scholarships for the same project.

Assessment Criteria

Applications are reviewed by a committee that meets once a year and focuses on the following criteria:

quality of the applicant’s overall body of publications and their professionalism;
relevance of their approach within the field of contemporary art;
quality of the proposed theoretical or critical research and its connection to their overall body of work;
feasibility of the proposed research project and consistency of the budget.

Amount

Lump sums: €4,000, €6,000, or €8,000.

Eligible expenses may include travel and accommodation costs, technical assistance, purchase of documentation, technical fees (reprography, rental of small equipment), and research and writing time.

Submitting an Application

Applications are submitted exclusively via the Cnap’s online application platform.

Application submission period: from April 7 to June 30, 2026, at 1:00 PM, for the committee meeting of October 27 and 28, 2026.

For more information about this open call, please visit the link below.

Note: This call was translated from French. French proficiency is likely necessary; please refer to the organization if unsure.