Centre de la Gravure et de l’Image imprimée

What Centre de la Gravure et de l’Image imprimée does

The Centre de la Gravure et de l'Image imprimée (CGII) is a Belgian art museum and cultural centre dedicated exclusively to printed art, founded in 1988 in La Louvière, Wallonia. It is structured as an ASBL (non-profit) under Belgian law, with its parent entity being the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, and receives permanent operational support from the Région Wallonne and the Ville de La Louvière (which owns the building). The institution conserves and exhibits a collection of over 17,000 works by approximately 2,400 Belgian and international artists, including significant CoBrA heritage and contemporary printmaking from the second half of the 20th century to the present, alongside a Documentation Centre (CDI) holding 12,500+ catalogues, books, and journals. Its physical infrastructure includes a 100+ m² printmaking atelier (inaugurated 2011) equipped with historic and professional presses including an 1865 Erasmus Sutter lithography press, climate-controlled storage reserves (50–55% humidity, 18–20°C), and a conference room for events.

The CGII generates revenue through a diversified set of small-ticket streams: museum admissions (€3–€8 per visitor, with free first-Sunday admission and MuseumPass integration), educational workshops for children and adults (€35–€200 per participant), atelier rental to autonomous printmaking practitioners (€80/day), venue rental for corporate seminars and team-building (capacity 20–50), publication sales (catalogues and pedagogical dossiers), and international artwork lending to partner institutions including BPS22, WIELS, BAM Mons, Design Museum Brussels, National Museum Krakow, and Fondation Boghossian. It also operates the annual Prix de la Gravure et de l'Image imprimée (since 1989), a printmaking competition awarding a €2,500 prize funded by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles Ministry of Culture.

The museum serves five distinct customer segments: the general public (primary), educational institutions from maternelle through secondaire (primary), professional artists and printmaking practitioners (secondary), corporate event organizers (secondary), and lending partner museums and cultural institutions (secondary). Distribution is primarily on-site in La Louvière with regional educational outreach and a global artwork lending program. The CGII is a core member of the PARC (Pôle des Arts en Région du Centre) network of eight regional museums, and integrates with broader Belgian cultural access schemes including MuseumPassMusées and Article 27.

Name

Centre de la Gravure et de l’Image imprimée

Legal name

Centre de la Gravure et de l'Image imprimée de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (ASBL)

Website

https://centredelagravure.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Centre de la Gravure et de l'Image imprimée is a Belgian non-profit art museum in La Louvière dedicated exclusively to printed art, stewarding 17,000+ works by 2,400 artists and serving general visitors, schools, professional printmakers, corporate event clients, and lending partner institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum & Cultural Centre

NAICS

Museums (71211)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

Keywords

• Printed art museum
• Printmaking workshops
• Art exhibitions
• Cultural education
• Art collection management

Headquarters

HQ city

La Louvière

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales and Admission: The museum charges admission fees: standard €8, reduced €5 (teachers, FED+, FWB card, etc.), students/unemployed/PSN €3, seniors €6, children under 12 free, groups from €2–€5 per person. Free admission on the first Sunday of each month and for MuseumPass holders. This forms the primary direct revenue stream from individual and group visitors.
2. Workshop and Activity Fees: Revenue generated from paid educational activities and workshops including children's and adult art workshops (e.g., 'Le stage qui décoiffe!' at €85, 'Temps à soi' at €35/day or €140/week, 'Strates' at €200), atelier rental to artists (€80/day), venue rental for seminars and events, and pedagogical toolkits. These activities target families, individuals, schools, and associations.
3. Publication Sales: The museum sells catalogues, exhibition guides, and pedagogical dossiers at its sales counter. Exhibition catalogues serve as reference works documenting the museum's programming and the role of printmaking artisans (printers, publishers, collectors).
4. Venue and Facility Rental: The CGII rents out its spaces for seminars, team-building sessions, meetings, and receptions. The conference room accommodates 20–25 people seated around a table or 40–50 in rows. The atelier is rented to autonomous printmaking practitioners at €80 per day (9h–16h).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Centre de la Gravure et de l'Image imprimée (CGII) is a museum and art center dedicated exclusively to printed art, operating exhibition spaces (intra-muros, extra-muros, la vitrine), conserving a collection of 17,000+ works by 2,400 artists, renting a professional printmaking atelier, providing educational and mediation services, maintaining a documentation centre (CDI) with 12,500+ references, organizing the annual Prix de la Gravure competition, and lending works to partner institutions.

Product overview

Centre de la Gravure et de l'Image imprimée is a museum and art center dedicated to printed art, offering a unified portfolio of services centered around printmaking and printed image preservation, education, and exhibition. The core offerings include access to a collection of over 17,000 works, exhibition spaces for Intra-muros and Extra-muros exhibitions, and a Documentation Centre (CDI) with 12,500+ catalogs and books. Supporting services include a rental Printmaking Workshop (Atelier d'estampe) equipped with historic and modern presses for various techniques, Conference Room rental for events, Educational Services (Service Éducatif) providing workshops and guided tours, Art Lending Services for institutional loans, and the annual Prix de la Gravure et de l'Image imprimée competition since 1989. The institution is part of PARC (Pôle des Arts de la Région du Centre) and is subsidized by Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Atelier d'estampe (Printmaking Workshop Rental) Rental of a fully equipped printmaking workshop for professional and autonomous artists, featuring two Artley intaglio presses (70x120cm and 90x150cm), an 1865 Erasmus Sutter lithography press (70x85cm), inking tables, work tables, drying racks, paper/metal shears, light table, etching sinks, and engraving/inking/printing tools for relief, intaglio, lithography, and experimental techniques.
• Salle de conférences (Conference Room Rental)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 17,000 works preserved and made accessible through rotation in exhibitions and international loans
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Fédération Wallonie-BruxellescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CGII is a subsidised institution of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, which provides ongoing operational funding and specifically funds the Prix de la Gravure et de l'Image imprimée competition (€2,500 prize) through its Ministry of Culture — Plastic Arts service. The Fédération also holds part of the museum's collections.
• Région WallonnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Walloon Region provides permanent institutional support to the CGII as part of the museum's multi-source public funding.
• Ville de La LouvièrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of La Louvière provides permanent support and owns the building housing the CGII. It also co-owns part of the collection alongside the Fédération and CGII. The city is the 5th most populous in Wallonia.
• PARC – Pôle des Arts en Région du CentreflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPARC brings together eight museum institutions in the Centre region (including CGII, Keramis, MIL, Daily-Bul & Co, Domaine du Château de Seneffe, Musée de la Mine, Musée du Carnaval et du Masque, Musée Royal de Mariemont) to create synergies and new dynamics in regional cultural promotion.
• MuseumPassMuséescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe MuseumPassMusées scheme allows holders free admission to the CGII, supporting visitor access and cross-institution tourism.
• MSW – Musées et Société en WallonieminorOthersMSW is a network of Walloon museums working on shared societal and cultural initiatives.
• Marmaille & CominorOthersA network focused on cultural programming for children and families in Wallonia.
• CentrissimeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe local tourist office of La Louvière promotes the CGII as a key cultural destination in the region.
• La Première (RTBF)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBelgian public radio (RTBF La Première) is a media partner supporting coverage of the museum's exhibitions and events.
• ACTV – Antenne Centre TélévisionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal television channel covering the Centre region, providing media coverage of CGII exhibitions and events.
• Article 27minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArticle 27 is a cultural access scheme allowing eligible individuals (social welfare recipients) to purchase museum tickets at €1.25 + 1 ticket, promoting democratic access to culture.
• 50° Nord 3° EstminorOthersA cultural initiative or network referenced as a partner of the CGII.
• BHS MediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerA media partner providing coverage of the museum's cultural programming.
• Atelier Michael Woolworth (Paris)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe Atelier Michael Woolworth in Paris is a renowned printmaking workshop that collaborated with the CGII on the Brecht Evens exhibition ('Brecht Evens est pressé. 10 ans d'estampes'). Evens printed all his works over ten years on the presses of this Atelier.
• La Pierre d'Alun (publishing house)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Jean Marchetti in 1982, La Pierre d'Alun is a publishing house conceived as a space for dialogue between writers and visual artists. It is featured in the CGII's major Jean Marchetti exhibition as a key part of his legacy in printed art and publishing.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Musée Royal de Mariemont: Regional museum in Morlanwelz within the PARC network of 8 Centre-region museums. Comparable scale, public funding structure (Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles), and broad cultural mandate to the CGII, though its collection is broader (Asian, Greco-Roman, natural history).
• BPS22 - Musée d'art de la Province de Hainaut: Contemporary art museum in Charleroi, also in Hainaut/Wallonia, and a documented artwork-loan partner of the CGII. Same regional public-funding ecosystem and PARC-adjacent positioning, though its collection scope is contemporary art broadly rather than printmaking.
• BAM - Beaux-Arts Mons: Fine arts museum in Mons listed among the CGII's documented loan partners, also part of the Walloon museum ecosystem. Comparable institutional scale and public funding basis; covers fine arts broadly.
• Fondation Boghossian - Villa Empain: Brussels-based cultural foundation and recorded CGII loan partner. Operates a museum/exhibition program and private events similar to the CGII's venue-rental and exhibition revenue model, though funded by private philanthropy rather than multi-source public subsidy.
• WIELS - Contemporary Art Centre: Brussels-based contemporary art centre and a recorded loan destination for CGII works. Comparable as a Belgian public-funded art centre with exhibitions and education programming, but covers contemporary art more broadly rather than the gravure niche.
• Domaine du Château de Seneffe: Walloon heritage site and PARC network museum that combines decorative arts collection, exhibitions, and venue/event rental. Comparable governance and operational model (regional public funding, events, gastronomy venue) to the CGII, though heritage rather than printmaking focus.

Direct peers

• Atelier Michael Woolworth: Renowned Parisian printmaking atelier that collaborated with the CGII on the Brecht Evens exhibition and provides professional printmaking presses for hire. Directly comparable on the atelier-services dimension the CGII offers, though commercial rather than public-funded.
• Musée de l'Imprimerie et de la Communication graphique: Museum in Lyon, France specifically dedicated to the history of printing, graphic communication, and printed image—directly comparable to the CGII's gravure/estampe focus. Both institutions preserve printing heritage, run educational workshops, and maintain open ateliers for practitioners.
• Keramis - Centre de la Céramique contemporaine: Contemporary ceramics museum also based in La Louvière and a fellow PARC member. It shares the same municipal and regional funding structure, comparable headcount scale, and is operated by the same Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles public framework, making it the closest operational peer.
• International Print Museum: Non-profit museum in Carson, California dedicated to the art and history of printmaking, offering workshops, exhibitions, and a permanent collection. Mirrors the CGII model of combining collection preservation, public access, and educational atelier programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-de-la-gravure

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Centre de la Gravure et de l’Image imprimée