Des Mots et Des Arts

What Des Mots et Des Arts does

Des Mots et Des Arts is a Paris-based cultural mediation company operating as a privately held SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) with €158,042 in share capital. Founded by art historian Morgane Pfligersdorffer and business school graduate Laure Benacin, the company delivers expert-led guided tours of Paris museums, galleries, monuments, and themed walks, alongside in-person and online art history courses (live and replay), custom cultural events, corporate programs, and cultural gift certificates. All guides are required to hold at minimum a Master's 2 degree in Art History, and the company claims multilingual delivery across 70+ languages. The customer base spans individual consumers (tourists, families, art enthusiasts), corporate clients (including JPMorgan, Société Générale, BPCE, CA-CIB, Chanel Parfums, Dassault Systèmes, Van Cleef & Arpels, Vivendi, Naval Group, Schlumberger, Ardian, and GE), educational institutions, and event specialists, with government clients including the Centre d'Action Sociale de la Ville de Paris and several mairies and médiathèques.

The company runs a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform with online booking, customer accounts, shopping cart, and newsletter registration, and handles B2B sales through a dedicated team covering individual offerings, custom programs, and association/school development. Distribution is Paris-centric and includes both owned (website, Instagram, Facebook, blog, newsletter, press) and partner channels (ADAGE, Pass Culture, mk2 cinema venues, and an exclusive partnership with the Musée de l'Armée at Les Invalides where it operates a dedicated site manager). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is handled via contact-based quoting for custom events and corporate programs.

Revenue is generated through four documented streams: guided tours and cultural visits (one-time), art history courses sold as individual sessions and subscriptions (recurring), custom events and corporate programs (one-time), and gift certificates (one-time). The combination of recurring course subscriptions and repeat corporate engagements (notably CSE/employee committee programs) provides a mix of transactional and relationship-based revenue, while the absence of external funding and the small share capital suggest a self-funded, organically scaled operator concentrated in a single city.

Name

Des Mots et Des Arts

Legal name

Société DES MOTS ET DES ARTS SAS

Website

https://desmotsetdesarts.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Des Mots et Des Arts is a Paris-based cultural mediation company offering expert-led guided tours, art history courses, and custom cultural events for individuals, corporations, schools, and event specialists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Mediation Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Heritage & Historic District Tours (THAJAAAB)

Keywords

• Cultural mediation services
• Guided museum tours
• Art history courses
• Corporate cultural programs
• Paris cultural visits

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Guided Tours and Cultural Visits: Revenue from guided tours of Paris museums, galleries, monuments, and themed walks. Offered to individuals, groups, and corporate clients.
2. Art History Courses: Revenue from indoor and online art history courses. Available as individual sessions, subscriptions, and family programs.
3. Custom Events and Corporate Programs: Revenue from bespoke cultural events for companies, schools, municipalities, and event specialists. Includes team building, CSE programs, and educational outings.
4. Gift Certificates: Revenue from cultural gift vouchers (chéques cadeaux) for guided tours and courses.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Des Mots et Des Arts is a Paris-based cultural mediation company that delivers expert-led guided tours of museums, galleries, monuments, and themed walks. It complements these tours with art history courses delivered both in-person and online (live and replay), custom cultural programs for corporate clients, schools, and municipalities, gift certificates, and exclusive access experiences through its partnership at the Musée de l'Armée at Les Invalides.

Product overview

Des Mots et Des Arts is a cultural mediation company offering a comprehensive portfolio of art history education and cultural discovery services in Paris. The company operates a multi-format model combining in-person experiences (guided visits, exclusive access tours, and indoor courses) with digital offerings (online courses with live and replay options, and podcasts). The core product lineup centers on guided visits across Paris museums and landmarks, complemented by exclusive access experiences and customizable visit formulas. Digital extensions include online courses, a family subscription program with partner mk2, and audio content. Additional offerings such as gift certificates and a photo gallery support the main educational services. The company also leverages referral systems through ADAGE and Pass Culture for educational institution partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Guided Visits (Visites Guidées)

Named customers17 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

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ADAGEminorOthersListed on ADAGE platform for educational institutions, enabling schools and municipalities to access their cultural mediation programs through official educational channels.
• Pass CultureminorOthersReferenced on Pass Culture platform, allowing individuals to use their cultural credit for Des Mots et Des Arts experiences.
• Musée de l'Armée - InvalidescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive partnership for cultural mediation at the Musée de l'Armée (Army Museum) at Les Invalides. The company has a dedicated site manager (Adeline Carballar) and specialized contact information for this venue. Services include guided tours for individuals, groups, and custom visits.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• Withlocals: European-rooted platform offering private and small-group cultural tours led by locals across multiple cities including Paris. Comparable on cultural tour format and expert-led positioning, with similar DTC booking motion.
• Tours by Locals: Marketplace connecting travelers with independent local guides for private and small-group tours worldwide, including Paris. Comparable on guided-tour format and Paris presence, but operates as a marketplace rather than a curated, in-house guide team.

Direct peers

• Context Travel: Premium small-group cultural tours led by experts (historians, architects, art historians) in major cities worldwide. Closely comparable in expert-led model, premium positioning, and dual DTC and B2B (corporate/custom) motion, though at broader geographic scale.
• Cultival: French cultural tour operator offering guided visits to Paris museums, monuments, and exhibitions for individuals, schools, and corporate clients. Direct competitor in the Paris cultural-tour niche with similar B2B/B2C mix and bilingual tour offerings.
• Paris Muse: Paris-based cultural tour operator specializing in expert-led museum and monument tours in Paris. Directly comparable in core offering (art-historian-guided museum visits), customer base (cultural tourists and corporate groups), and Paris-only footprint.
• City Wonders: Paris and Europe-focused tour operator offering guided museum visits, monument tours, and skip-the-line experiences. Comparable in product scope (museum/monument tours), Paris concentration, and mixed DTC and group/corporate client base.
• Walks (Devour Tours): Multi-city operator of expert-led cultural and food tours, including Paris. Comparable small-group, docent-led model serving travelers and corporate groups, with similar positioning around expert guides and premium experiences.

Broad incumbents

• GetYourGuide: Global OTA platform aggregating cultural tours, museum tickets, and local experiences including a large Paris inventory. Indirectly comparable as a distribution channel and competitor for cultural experience bookings, though not a niche specialist.
• Viator (Tripadvisor): Global OTA for tours, attractions, and experiences with substantial Paris cultural tour inventory. Broad incumbent platform that competes for the same end customers and can disintermediate specialist operators like DMDA.
• Airbnb Experiences: Global marketplace for bookable local experiences including cultural tours in Paris. Broad incumbent that aggregates demand and supplies cultural tours, comparable to DMDA on the consumer experience-buying side.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DesMotsetDesArts
• Instagraminstagram.com/dmda_paris_/?hl=fr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/des-mots-et-des-arts

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Des Mots et Des Arts