Artexte

What Artexte does

Artexte is a non-profit documentation centre and contemporary art gallery headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1981 and operating with a staff of 8 from a single location at 2 rue Sainte-Catherine Est, the organisation preserves collective memory in Canadian visual arts from 1965 to the present through three interconnected product lines: a physical gallery and reading room open Wednesday to Friday, the 'e-artexte' open-access digital repository built on EPrints software (University of Southampton), and 'Éditions Artexte', a publishing arm producing catalogues and artists' books in limited print runs (e.g., 300 copies) priced between $20 and $50 CAD.

Its service portfolio spans exhibitions, curated programmes, a research residency programme for artists and curators (documented residents including Kristen Hutchinson and Céline Huyghebaert), educational resources (virtual guided tours, group visits, accredited internships, thematic guides), research bibliographies, a 'Toolbox' of digital literacy resources, and an annual Duplicate Book Sale fundraiser. The customer base is hybrid: general public visitors, researchers and academic users, practising artists and curators, and educational institutions, all served primarily through the physical site, the digital repository, and digital content channels.

Artexte generates revenue through a mix of operational and project grants from public arts councils (Canada Council for the Arts, CALQ, Quebec Ministry of Culture, Conseil des arts de Montréal), charitable donations collected via Zeffy, and one-time publication sales through its e-commerce storefront, supplemented by occasional fundraising events. Sub-brand 'e-artexte' functions as the digital surface of the documentation collection, and the organisation maintains an extensive partnership network with Canadian artist-run centres (GIV, ALQ, Centre VOX), cultural venues (SAT, Casa d'Italia), and publishers (Volume MTL, Art Canada Institute), reinforcing its position as a shared infrastructure node for Canadian visual arts.

Name

Artexte

Legal name

Artexte

Website

https://artexte.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Artexte is a Montreal-based non-profit documentation centre and contemporary art gallery that preserves Canadian visual arts from 1965 to today, serving researchers, artists, students, and the general public through a physical reading room, the e-artexte digital repository, and Éditions Artexte publishing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Documentation & Contemporary Art Gallery

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Libraries and Archives (51921), Museums (712110), Historical Sites (71212)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Archaeological Sites & Heritage Interpretation Centers (THAJADAG), Content Asset Libraries & Template Marketplaces (stock, characters, themes) (EDAFAHAI), Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA)

Keywords

• Art documentation center
• Contemporary art gallery
• Digital art repository
• Visual arts archive
• Arts publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Publication sales: Sale of art books, catalogues, and chapbooks published by Éditions Artexte through the online shop. Publications range from $20 to $50.
2. Donations and fundraising: Charitable donations from supporters to support Artexte's mission of preserving collective memory in Canadian visual arts.
3. Government arts funding: Operational support from arts councils including Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts et lettres du Québec, and Quebec Ministry of Culture.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Artexte is a non-profit documentation centre and contemporary art gallery in Montreal that preserves Canadian visual arts documentation from 1965 to the present. It operates a physical gallery and reading room, the e-artexte open-access digital repository, a publishing arm (Éditions Artexte), research residencies, and educational programs including virtual guided tours and workshops.

Product overview

Artexte is a contemporary art gallery and documentation center in Montreal that serves as a unique resource for Canadian visual arts research. Its core offering comprises a physical gallery space and reading room, the e-artexte digital repository (an open-access database of Canadian contemporary art documentation), and Éditions Artexte (its publishing arm producing catalogues and artists' books). The organization is structured around several interconnected products and services: exhibitions (such as 'We're Here. We're Lesboqueer. We're Still Fabulous.'), a research residency program, educational programs including virtual guided tours and group visits, bibliographies, and the Toolbox (providing practical resources on open access, Wikipedia editing, and web archiving). The Duplicate Book Sale and external collections resource round out its service portfolio. Artexte preserves collective memory in Canadian visual arts through its collection, public programming, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• e-artexte: Digital collection and research database containing digitized documents from Artexte's collection and online-accessible materials

Products and services

• Physical Gallery and Reading Room Physical exhibition space and reading room at 2 Sainte-Catherine East, room 301, Montreal, open Wednesday to Friday from 12 to 5 PM, housing the documentary collection accessible to researchers and visitors.
• e-artexte Digital Repository Open-access digital repository powered by EPrints software (University of Southampton) providing online access to digitized documents from Artexte's Canadian visual arts collection, including catalogues, monographs, and periodicals.
• Research Residency Program Artist and curator residencies providing access to Artexte's collection for research purposes, including documented residencies by Kristen Hutchinson (Fall 2024) and Céline Huyghebaert.
• Éditions Artexte Artexte's publishing arm producing exhibition catalogues, chapbooks, and artists' books documenting Canadian contemporary art, including publications such as 'Le studio', 'nos suppressions', and 'Buseje Bailey'.
• Educational Programs Group visits, accredited internships, virtual guided tours, and thematic educational guides (on topics such as fashion and food) supporting learning about contemporary art for schools and educators.
• Bibliographies Thematic research guides compiled by Artexte's librarians, offering curated document selections on specific topics within the collection.
• We're Here. We're Lesboqueer. We're Still Fabulous. (Exhibition) Curated contemporary art exhibition organized at Artexte's gallery space, drawn from Artexte's documentary collection and partner archives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Open access digital repository (e-artexte) providing access to digitised collection documents

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Art Canada InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Collaboration on the book 'Kiss & Tell: Lesbian Art & Activism' by Kristen Hutchinson, to be published as an open access online publication in June 2025.
• Groupe Intervention Vidéo (GIV)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2025Collaboration on the exhibition 'We're Here. We're Lesboqueer. We're Still Fabulous' and joint screening event. GIV is a Montreal-based centre dedicated to preservation and promotion of media artworks by women since 1975.
• Archives lesbiennes du Québec (ALQ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2025Collaboration providing posters and journals from ALQ archives for the 'We're Here. We're Lesboqueer. We're Still Fabulous' exhibition. ALQ has been collecting and preserving Quebec lesbian history since 1983.
• Centre VOXminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 April 2025Material loans for the exhibition programming.
• Société des Arts technologiques (SAT)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 April 2025Material loans for the exhibition programming.
• Volume MTLcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 October 2024Annual partnership with Volume MTL, the bilingual art book fair celebrating artists' books and art publishing, for the Duplicate Book Sale event. Volume MTL is the first major annual gathering for art publishing in Montreal and Quebec.
• Casa d'ItaliaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2024Venue partner for the 2024 Duplicate Book Sale event at 505 rue Jean-Talon E, near Jean-Talon metro station.
• Société des Arts et Technologies (SAT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2021Collaboration with SAT as venue partner for Duplicate Book Sale events. SAT is located at 1201 St-Laurent Blvd, close to Artexte's location.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• La Centrale GALERIE-POWERHOUSE: Montreal feminist artist-run centre presenting contemporary art by women and queer-identifying artists since 1993. Comparable to Artexte as a non-profit gallery addressing marginalised practices, while operating as a separate community-focused model.
• OBORO: Montreal new media arts centre focused on digital and electronic art creation, diffusion, and preservation. Comparable to Artexte as a Montreal contemporary art non-profit combining exhibitions, residencies, and archives, but with stronger emphasis on new media practices.
• Art Metropole: Toronto-based artist-run centre with an extensive media art and publishing archive, distributing artist multiples and publications nationally. Directly comparable to Artexte as a Canadian artist-run centre combining publishing, archives, and a reading room for contemporary art documentation.
• Centre SKOL: Montreal artist-run centre supporting contemporary art practices and community residencies. Comparable to Artexte as a French-language peer organization offering exhibitions and programming for visual artists in Quebec.
• Vtape: Toronto-based artist-run centre and video art distribution/archive serving Canadian media artists since 1981. Comparable to Artexte as a non-profit documentation and distribution hub for Canadian contemporary art, particularly video and media-based practices.
• Centre Clark: Montreal artist-run centre dedicated to experimentation in visual arts, offering residencies and exhibitions. Comparable to Artexte as a closely-missioned Quebec artist-run centre serving living contemporary artists.
• Galerie B-312: Montreal-based artist-run centre exhibiting contemporary art and fostering emerging practices. Comparable to Artexte as another Quebec non-profit artist-run centre with curated programming for contemporary visual artists.

Regional players

• Video Pool Media Arts Centre: Winnipeg-based artist-run media arts centre distributing and archiving Canadian video art. Comparable to Artexte as a Canadian artist-run media archive, but serving Manitoba/Western Canada rather than Quebec.

Broad incumbents

• Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ): Quebec's national library and archives operating across multiple locations with extensive digital collections. Comparable to Artexte as a major archive of Quebec cultural heritage, with broader scope and substantially larger institutional footprint.
• Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal: Montreal's contemporary art museum with permanent collections, exhibitions, and publishing. Comparable to Artexte as a major Montreal contemporary art institution, but operating at significantly larger scale with a permanent collection rather than a documentation focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCt0cy6mhVMeJBwnsxhR3P9Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/artexte
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artexte
• Instagraminstagram.com/artexte

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Artexte