Organizer Information
This programme is jointly run by the Institut français and the Cité internationale des arts. The Institut français supports French culture internationally, helping to promote the French language, the circulation of works and ideas, and the mobility of artists throughout the world, while working to promote cultural diversity and contribute to the hosting of foreign performers. Its predecessor organization was placed under the dual supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, tasked with expanding French art abroad and properly receiving foreign artists in France, a mission that grew substantially in scope after the Second World War as cultural diplomacy took on new importance in international relations.
The Cité internationale des arts is a nonprofit foundation based in Paris managing an artist-in-residence building complex, with a mission to foster research and creative work by international contemporary artists across all disciplines, including visual arts, music, performing arts, architecture, and writing. Inaugurated in 1965, it comprises 326 studio apartments spread across two sites, one in the Marais district and the other in Montmartre. The Institut français x Cité internationale des arts programme itself was created in 1970 and hosts more than 70 laureates per year; its most recent call, published in summer 2025, resulted in the selection of 53 laureates representing 42 different nationalities for the 2026/2027 residency programme. In 2025, the Cité internationale des arts marked its 60th anniversary, celebrating six decades of commitment to artistic creation.
Title & Description
Institut français x Cité internationale des arts Residency Programme — 2026 Selection Process
The Institut français x Cité internationale des arts residency programme is open to artists and cultural professionals of all nationalities and disciplines who have resided outside France for at least five years and who wish to develop a research and creative project in Paris. Each year, close to 70 laureates from around the world are selected to take part. Laureates are hosted at the Cité internationale des arts on the Marais site (18 rue de l'Hôtel de Ville, Paris 4th arrondissement) in furnished, Wi-Fi-equipped individual studio apartments comprising a workspace, sleeping area, bathroom, and kitchenette. Management of the 22 studio apartments under this programme is delegated to the Institut français by its supervising ministries, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
Applicants cannot apply independently: applications submitted directly by artists are not accepted. Every application must be carried by an "associated partner" — an organization that submits the application on the artist's behalf and guarantees financial and professional support. Eligible partner structures include the French cultural network abroad (Instituts français, Alliances Françaises, embassy cultural services) and cultural/artistic organizations based in France or abroad (art centers, associations, galleries, museums, artist studios, theatres, concert halls, production companies, labels, research institutes, libraries, publishing houses, and similar bodies). Priority is given to projects involving at least one cultural/artistic organization based in Île-de-France, since this type of partnership enables closer support (mentoring, guidance, visits, professional meetings) for laureates, in coordination with the Institut français; however, no priority is given based on the artist's geographic origin.
An information webinar in French was scheduled for July 10 at 2:30 pm (CET) to present the programme and its selection process and to answer questions from partners and candidates.
Categories
- Architecture, Landscape, Urban Planning
- Visual Arts / Photography
- Cinema (animation, fiction, creative documentary, video art)
- Digital Creation (digital arts, video games, VR)
- Art Criticism and Exhibition Curating
- Dance, Performance
- Design, Graphic Design
- Gastronomy
- Literature (fiction, essay, children's literature, graphic novels)
- Crafts
- Fashion
- Music (classical, contemporary, popular & jazz)
- Photography
- Theatre
Eligibility
- Open to artists and cultural professionals of all nationalities, with no age limit
- Must have resided outside French territory on a permanent basis for at least 5 years
- Must be supported by one or more associated partners (direct applications by artists are not accepted)
- Must be engaged in a recognized professional practice
- Must be free of all professional obligations for the entire duration of the residency
- Must demonstrate autonomy and have professional-level command of French and/or English
- Must be available for the full residency window, April 2027 to April 2028
Program Benefits
- The Institut français covers the monthly costs associated with the individual studio apartments at the Cité internationale des arts
- Residency stipend: minimum €1,100 per month, paid directly to the artist by the associated partner
- International travel for the artist, covered by the associated partner
- Insurance (health, repatriation, liability) for the artist, covered by the associated partner
- Visa fees, if necessary, covered by the associated partner
- Paid access (on reservation, subject to availability and programming) to an auditorium, three exhibition spaces (la Vitrine, la Galerie, la Petite galerie), eight rehearsal studios, and collective workshops for screen-printing, engraving, and ceramics
- Accompanying person: up to two adults and one child under 11 may join the artist in the studio apartment; associated additional costs are the artist's responsibility
Application Fee
No direct application fee is stated; however, the artist is responsible for the cost of additional services at the Cité internationale des arts (2026 monthly rates, subject to slight change in 2027 and 2028):
- Accompanying person: €181/month
- Child up to age 11: €134/month
- Extra night outside residency dates: €40–60
- Rehearsal studios (max. 50 hours): €70
- Collective engraving/screen-printing workshops: €107–154
- Collective ceramics workshop: €179
- French language classes: €11 (2 hours) or €80 monthly package (16 hours)
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 8 October 2026
- Information Webinar: 10 July 2026
- Selection Committee Meeting: December 2026
- Results Announced: January 2027
- Residency Period 1: April 9, 2027 – July 5, 2027
- Residency Period 2: July 9, 2027 – October 4, 2027
- Residency Period 3: October 8, 2027 – January 3, 2028
- Residency Period 4: January 7, 2028 – April 3, 2028
Location
Paris, France
Additional Details
- Applicants may indicate preferences regarding residency dates; the Institut français's Residency Programme reserves the right to adjust the duration and timing of the stay according to the programme's schedule
- Requests for 9-month residencies receive particular attention: selected candidates who applied for this duration will be invited to an interview with the Institut français and the Cité internationale des arts to justify the scope and necessity of their long-term project; the residency duration may then be confirmed or revised
- Specific needs (disability, medical situation, family accommodation) must be flagged at the time of application
- Evaluation criteria include: the candidate's professional background; the artistic and intellectual quality of the project; the proposed work plan for the residency; and the connection to the French and Île-de-France art scenes and professional contacts already established locally; the selection committee also pays particular attention to inclusivity, geographic and disciplinary diversity, and gender parity among selected candidates
- The selection committee is chaired by the deputy director of the Institut français's Department of International Mobility and Events and includes sector experts from the Institut français and the Cité internationale des arts, a representative of the French cultural network abroad, representatives of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, and qualified external figures
- All associated partners who submitted an application will be notified by email of the results (positive or negative) in January 2027; application status can also be checked on IFProg
- The selection committee's report is published on the Institut français website; laureates' names will be published on the websites and social media of the Institut français and the Cité internationale des arts