Acquisitions Committee
Works are added to the museum and Frac collections every year.
Les Abattoirs is distinguished by its hybrid dimension, which is embodied in the dialogue between three collections: the museum collection, the Frac collection and the Daniel Cordier collection (on deposit at the MNAM/CCI - Centre Pompidou).
New works are added to the museum and Frac collections every year.
For the Frac, this enrichment of a collection that already includes more than 1,300 works is steered by a Technical Purchasing Committee, which meets once a year.
Selection criteria
The Abattoirs' acquisition policy is rooted in a complex history of collections, whose plurality makes it an ideal place for a diversity of narratives to flourish, reflecting the diversity of our societies today. Rooted in this heritage, the Abattoirs' Artistic and Cultural Project for 2025-2030 aims to draw up a non-linear and plural history of art, in tune with contemporary issues.
The new works to be added to the collections are selected on the basis of the following criteria:
- Supporting young artists, particularly in the Occitanie region, in line with the Frac's core mission.
- To strengthen the presence of artists from the Ibero-American scene, already a strong feature of the collections, by opening up more widely to artists from the northern Mediterranean, particularly artists who provide a link between the Maghreb and the Occitanie region.
- Continuing to open up to a diversity of artistic scenes in order to enrich the periods or movements represented in the collections, providing a broader perspective on the history of art and representative of the contemporary art scene.
- Open up to a wider variety of mediums and cross-disciplines, so as to capture a broader spectrum of creative activity and provide an echo for the Daniel Cordier collection (deposited with the MNAM), as well as contemporary re-readings of art history, for example with a focus on so-called craft practices (ceramics, textiles, basketry, etc.).
- Thinking about the collections in terms of their nomadic dimension, choosing works that are in line with the FRAC's missions in terms of their mobility and ease of distribution: priority is given to enriching the graphic arts collection (multiples) and acquiring works with a protocol.
- Work to improve the representation of women artists, in order to sketch out a different kind of art history that moves away from an essentially male canon.
- Continuing to build up a coherent body of work, reinforcing the presence of certain artists who are currently isolated and/or of little significance. This concern is also intended to support artists already present in the collections.
Attention is also paid to the dialogue that can be established between works in the Frac collection and those in the museum collection, in order to develop convergences around common themes, in a dialogue between modern and contemporary art.
Lastly, the ability to meet basic preventive conservation requirements is taken into account, particularly in terms of the ability of works to adapt to different exhibition venues as part of the dissemination of the collection.
How the Technical Purchasing Committee operates
The Technical Purchasing Committee is led by the Director of Les Abattoirs - Frac Occitanie Toulouse. It is made up of contemporary art professionals appointed by the Comité Syndical des Abattoirs (deliberative body), on the proposal of the director.
This working group, whose members are appointed for a three-year term, makes acquisition proposals, while also examining files submitted by unsolicited applications.
The selected works are then submitted to the Comité syndical for approval.
Members of the Technical Purchasing Committee (since 2024)
Deliberative members
- Lauriane Gricourt, Director of Les Abattoirs, musée-Frac Occitanie Toulouse
- Antoine Marchand, director of the Le Lait art centre in Albi and co-president of Air de Midi.
- Alicia Knock, curator and head of the contemporary prospecting department at the Musée national d'art moderne - Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.
- Pascal Lièvre, artist
- Diana Wechsler, art historian, vice-rector of the Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero (UNTREF) in Buenos Aires and artistic director of MUNTREF, Museum and Art Centre of the Universidad Nacional Tres de Febrero. Founder and artistic director of BIENALSUR, International Biennial of Contemporary Art of South America.
External personalities (advisory capacity)
- Marie-Béatrice Angelé, Visual Arts Advisor, DRAC Occitanie Toulouse
- Cendrine Krempp, in charge of contemporary art, Occitanie Region
- Eric Mangion, Director of the Frac Occitanie Montpellier
- Clément Nouet, Director of the Musée régional d'art contemporain Occitanie (Sérignan)
How to submit a proposal
You can send your acquisition proposal(s) to the following address: documentation@lesabattoirs.org
Unsolicited applications must be accompanied by the following documents (between 10 and 12 MB max.):
- Acquisition proposal form (download below)
- Several visuals from different angles of each work proposed (minimum 300 dpi, jpeg) with the corresponding references and/or video link (Vimeo or other);
- Condition report on the work (if available)
- Assembly plan (if necessary)
- Written description of each work submitted
- Artist's portfolio
- Curriculum vitae including date and place of birth, Siret Artist-Author number (Urssaf Limousin), biography and bibliography, any publications (in pdf format) and any other information needed to understand the artist's approach
Timetable
Deadline for submitting applications (in digital format only): until 5 May 2025
Dates of the next Acquisition Committee meeting: June 2025 (date to be specified)
Feedback will be sent by email or telephone after the AAC.