Carré Sur Seine

What Carré Sur Seine does

Carré sur Seine is a French non-profit association (loi 1901, reconnue d'intérêt général) founded in 2011 by Maria Giovanna Gilotta, Isabelle Lefort, and Florence Provost, operating from Boulogne-Billancourt in Île-de-France. The organization runs two flagship programs: the annual Rencontres Artistiques, a four-day professional encounter event where 400+ emerging artists and curators hold individual 20-minute meetings with 100+ art-world experts (curators, gallerists, critics, collectors, institution directors), and the Prix Carré sur Seine, a multi-category prize awarded annually since 2012 with categories spanning main expert selection, sculpture/volume, digital/hybrid practice, curatorial practice, production, and a Belgian cross-border exhibition partnership. The 2025 edition engaged participants from 57 nationalities and generated 2,200 individual expert rendez-vous.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform. Operations are supported by a Squarespace-hosted website, email-based application intake, and a dedicated press agency (Agence Studiolo) handling media relations. The technology surface is therefore essentially zero — the "product" is the event itself, with application and scheduling managed manually.

Revenue is generated through two streams: a per-session participant fee of €12 per 20-minute expert rendez-vous (transaction-fee model) and institutional/corporate partnership funding underwriting prize dotations, venue costs, and exhibition production. Named partners include Ville de Boulogne-Billancourt (founding municipal partner since 2011), Fonds de dotation Emerige, Fonds de dotation Interconstruction, ADAGP, Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, ARTAÏS, Art Contest, and Société Générale's art patronage. The organization employs approximately 3–5 people, operates with a small core team led by the three co-founders, and has not raised external capital as a non-profit entity.

Name

Carré Sur Seine

Legal name

Carré sur Seine

Website

https://carre-sur-seine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Carré sur Seine is a French non-profit association running the annual Rencontres Artistiques event and Prix Carré sur Seine prize, connecting 400+ emerging artists and curators with 100+ art-world experts through structured one-on-one meetings and multi-category awards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Other Performing Arts Companies (71119)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Consumer & Public Shows (B2C) Organizers (THAHABAC)

Keywords

• Contemporary art events
• Artist development programs
• Art prize awards
• Curatorial networking
• Emerging artist support

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulogne-Billancourt

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Participant fees: Each 20-minute rendez-vous with an expert is charged at €12 per session. This covers event organization and appointment management costs. Participation in the application and selection phase is free.
2. Institutional and private partnership funding: As a non-profit association (loi 1901) recognized as being in the public interest, Carré sur Seine relies on municipal (Ville de Boulogne-Billancourt), corporate (Fonds de dotation Emerige, Fonds de dotation Interconstruction, Société Générale's art patronage), and institutional support (ADAGP, Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles) to fund prize dotations, event logistics, and exhibition production.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Carré sur Seine operates an annual multi-day professional encounter event (Les Rencontres Artistiques) that pairs selected emerging artists and exhibition curators with a curated roster of 100+ art-world experts in individual 20-minute rendez-vous, accompanied by the annual Prix Carré sur Seine prize and finalist exhibitions. The organization is structured as a French non-profit association (loi 1901) recognized as being of general interest, with revenue sourced from a €12 per-session participant fee plus municipal, institutional, and corporate patronage.

Product overview

Carré Sur Seine is a non-profit arts organization (association loi 1901) offering a portfolio of interconnected programs: Les Rencontres Artistiques (annual professional encounter event since 2011), Le Prix Carré sur Seine (art prize awarded since 2012 with multiple categories), and Expositions des Finalistes (annual group exhibitions since 2022). The Prix Carré sur Seine comprises several specific awards including Prix Experts (5,000 euros), Prix FDD Interconstruction (5,000 euros for sculpture/volume), Prix Expérience 4.0 (5,000 euros for digital practices), Prix ARTAÏS (2,000-3,000 euros), Prix Perspectives Curatoriales (1,000 euros, created 2024), and Prix Art Contest (exhibition opportunity). The organization connects emerging contemporary artists with art professionals through individual meetings and provides visibility through exhibitions at partner venues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Les Rencontres Artistiques Annual multi-day professional encounter event for selected emerging artists and exhibition curators, providing individual 20-minute rendez-vous with a curated roster of 100+ art-world experts (curators, gallery owners, critics, collectors, institution directors). Application is free; selected participants pay €12 per session. Held at Espace Landowski, Boulogne-Billancourt, since 2011.
• Prix Carré sur Seine Annual contemporary art prize awarded since 2012 to distinguish singular artistic practices emerging from the Rencontres Artistiques. The prize comprises multiple category-specific sub-awards (Experts, FDD Interconstruction, Expérience 4.0, ARTAÏS Art Contemporain, Perspectives Curatoriales, Art Contest) with monetary dotations up to €5,000 plus exhibition and residency opportunities.
• Expositions des Finalistes Annual group exhibition programme showcasing works by selected Prix Carré sur Seine finalists, providing collective visibility and a curatorial reading of the selected artistic approaches. Hosted at partner venues (Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, Paris).
• Exposition Indices de présence 2025 edition of the finalist exhibition at Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, featuring works by the 2025 Prix Carré sur Seine laureates and finalists exploring presence, traces, and digital/material practices. Award ceremony for the six laureates was held on 23 April 2026.

Quantifiable outcome

• Each edition brings together over 400 artists and curators, 100+ experts, representing 57 nationalities, generating 2,200 individual rendez-vous.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ARTAÏS Art ContemporaincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025An association dedicated to supporting young contemporary artistic creation and its dissemination to broader audiences. Co-creates the Prix Carré sur Seine | ARTAÏS Art Contemporain prize (€3,000), awarded to a laureate for their production. Also contributes expert professionals to the selection process.
• Art ContestminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025A Belgian annual competition dedicated to young contemporary creation. In 2025, Art Contest partnered with Carré sur Seine to present three of its winning artists within the Carré sur Seine finalist exhibition at Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, and to offer an exhibition opportunity at Le Botanique in Brussels to winning Carré sur Seine artists.
• Fonds de dotation EmerigecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013An arts patron fund established by real-estate developer Emerige. Supports the Prix Carré sur Seine through prize dotations and broader project funding. Emerige has been involved since the early years of the association, expanding and consolidating the partnership ecosystem.
• Fonds de dotation InterconstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013An endowment fund that co-sponsors a dedicated prize category within the Prix Carré sur Seine (Prix Carré sur Seine | FDD Interconstruction), targeting practices linked to volume and sculpture. Provides a €5,000 monetary award to the selected laureate.
• Ville de Boulogne-BillancourtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011The founding municipal partner of Carré sur Seine, which has provided continuous and essential support since the association's creation in 2011. The city hosts the annual Rencontres Artistiques at Espace Landowski and contributes to the overall ecosystem that made the association possible.
• Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles | PariscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA cultural institution in Paris dedicated to Belgian culture and contemporary creation. Hosts the annual finalist exhibition of the Prix Carré sur Seine, providing exhibition space, curatorial support, and visibility. Acts as a key platform for extending the Rencontres' reach beyond the event itself.
• ADAGPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe French collective management organization for visual arts authors' rights. Supports Carré sur Seine and its mission, contributing to the association's approach and the visibility of emerging artists within the professional art ecosystem.
• Société Générale (Collection Société Générale)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe corporate art patronage arm of Société Générale bank, managing a collection of nearly 1,800 artworks. Aurélie Deplus, head of the bank's art patronage, serves as President of the Rencontres Artistiques 2025, demonstrating institutional support and professional expertise integration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Art Contest: Belgian annual competition dedicated to young contemporary creation; an actual partner of Carré sur Seine since 2025, with cross-listing of laureates at Le Botanique in Brussels. Operates an almost identical emerging-artist discovery and exhibition model.
• ARTAÏS Art Contemporain: Association dedicated to supporting young contemporary artistic creation and its dissemination. Co-funds a prize category within the Prix Carré sur Seine and contributes expert professionals, making it a directly comparable emerging-art support organization.
• Le Fresnoy - Studio National des Arts Contemporains: French national studio for emerging contemporary artists, offering residencies, production support, and exhibitions. Directly comparable as a publicly supported pipeline for emerging artists transitioning to professional careers.
• Lafayette Anticipations: Paris-based foundation supporting contemporary creation across visual arts, fashion, and design. Comparable in mission (emerging artist development, exhibitions, residencies) and French institutional setting, though with a larger endowment.
• Drawing Now Art Fair: Paris-based contemporary drawing fair focused on emerging and mid-career artists. Comparable as a discovery platform for emerging artists with an annual curated format, though commercially ticketed rather than free-application based.
• Triangle Network: International network of artist-run organizations and emerging-artist exchange programs (Triangle Gazes, Triangle Studios). Comparable in mission of supporting emerging artists through exchange and exhibition, with similar international reach.

Broad incumbents

• Paris+ par Art Basel (formerly FIAC): Major Paris contemporary art fair operating at much larger commercial scale. Comparable as a Parisian contemporary art event, though commercial and incumbent rather than emerging-artist focused and non-commercial.
• Fonds Régional d'Art Contemporain (FRAC): Network of regional French contemporary art funds that acquire, exhibit, and support emerging artists. Comparable in mission but operates at a much larger public-funding scale and across multiple regions.
• LUMA Foundation: Large Arles-based foundation supporting contemporary art and environmental initiatives. Comparable as a French arts foundation supporting emerging practitioners, but with substantially larger capital base and infrastructure.

Others

• ADAGP: French collective management organization for visual artists' rights and a core institutional partner of Carré sur Seine. Comparable as a key node in the French contemporary art ecosystem that supports emerging creators, though not a direct event competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carr%C3%A9-sur-seine

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 Carré Sur Seine