Organizer Information
La Rocabella is a Belle Époque villa on the heights of Le Pradet, on the Mediterranean coast near Toulon, France, built in 1899 by Danish architect Hans-Georg Tersling, favoured architect of Empress Eugénie. During the first half of the 20th century it operated as an avant-garde literary and artistic salon before being converted into a children's holiday colony after the Second World War. French Tech entrepreneur Jean-Baptiste Rudelle acquired the estate in 2019–2020 and, alongside its use for tourism and professional seminars, revived its artistic vocation: each winter, Rocabella hosts multidisciplinary artist residencies — spanning comics, sculpture, painting, music, and filmmaking — modelled loosely on the Villa Medici format, bringing together local and international artists across successive two-month sessions on a shared annual theme, this year "The Call of the Sea" / "L'Appel du Large."
Title & Description
La Rocabella Painting Residency 2026 — "The Call of the Sea" (L'Appel du Large)
This call invites 12 painters to take part in a three-session artistic residency at La Rocabella exploring the theme "The Call of the Sea." Each two-month session hosts 4 painters in residence. The residency draws on the pull of the open sea as a subject of exploration, freedom, and encounter — evoked in the call through references to sailor Florence Arthaud and poet Charles Baudelaire — inviting painters to develop new work in dialogue with this theme and the Mediterranean setting. The residency concludes with a group exhibition and opening at Rocabella.
Theme
The Call of the Sea (L'Appel du Large) — the pull of the open sea as a space of freedom, exploration, and self-discovery.
Categories
- Painting
- Residency
- Visual Arts
Eligibility
- Open to artists and researchers aged 18 and older, of all levels of experience (per the residency programme's general FAQ)
- Priority given to those who wish to exchange with peers or with creative personalities from other disciplines
- Selection made on the basis of an application file, reviewed by a panel
Program Benefits & Awards
- Accommodation 7 days a week (single room with private bathroom for each artist)
- Full board 7 days a week
- Dedicated workshop, open 24/7
- Round-trip transportation (amount set by the residency)
- Remuneration and a consumables allowance (amounts set by the residency)
- An artistic grant also supports each residency (per the general programme FAQ)
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 13 September 2026
- Interviews: September 2026
- Final selection: September/October 2026
- Session 1: 2 November – 18 December 2026
- Session 2: 4 January – 19 February 2027
- Session 3: 1 March – 9 April 2027
- Group opening and exhibition at Rocabella: 15–18 April 2027 (subject to confirmation)
Location
La Rocabella, Le Pradet, France
Additional Details
- Common languages among residents are French and English
- For registration issues, applicants can contact the residency manager at frissel@hotmail.fr
- Depending on the residency theme, participants may access personalized coaching and mentoring from established figures in their field, and storytelling/pitching workshops are often included
- International applications are accepted for a portion of Rocabella's residencies, though the common working language is often French; applicants should check language requirements for the specific residency
- During winter residency periods, Rocabella's programme is focused on hosting artists-in-residence