Institut du monde arabe-Tourcoing

What Institut du monde arabe-Tourcoing does

Institut du monde arabe-Tourcoing (IMA-Tourcoing) is a French public cultural institution structured as a Groupement d'Intérêt Public, founded on 30 November 2015 and publicly opened on 17 November 2016. It is the regional branch of the Paris-based Institut du monde arabe and operates from a converted Art Deco municipal swimming pool in Tourcoing, in the Hauts-de-France region. Its stated mission is to promote Arab cultures within the region through temporary exhibitions, concerts, conferences, film screenings, Arabic-language courses across all levels including specialised tracks, educational workshops for schools, and venue rental for private and professional events.

The institution operates with a small team of approximately nine employees across programming, education, communication, and administration, and is open Tuesday through Sunday with limited afternoon hours. Earned revenue is generated through modestly priced ticketing (€5–€8 per exhibition) and tiered Arabic course fees (€76–€432 annually), while the operating base is sustained by public co-financing from Région Hauts-de-France, Ville de Tourcoing, Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL), and FEDER. Distribution relies on the national IMA brand, listing in SNCF cultural programming, and inclusion in regional cultural passes (C'Art, Lille City Pass).

Its programmatic moat rests on a network of co-productions and partnerships with flagship French cultural institutions — including the Musée du Louvre, Musée national Picasso-Paris, Cnap, Le Fresnoy, and Institut Français Méditerranée — that supply exhibition content, lending, and curatorial validation. A 10th-anniversary programme scheduled for November 2026 and a nationally labelled Serge Najjar photography exhibition due to open on 18 September 2026 indicate active institutional momentum, while the recent introduction of distance-learning Arabic courses points to modest geographic broadening of the educational offer.

Name

Institut du monde arabe-Tourcoing

Legal name

Institut du monde arabe-Tourcoing

Website

https://ima-tourcoing.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Institut du monde arabe-Tourcoing is a French public cultural institution (GIP) that promotes Arab cultures in the Hauts-de-France region through exhibitions, concerts, Arabic-language courses, and educational workshops, operating from a converted municipal swimming pool in Tourcoing with a team of nine staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural & Educational Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Culture, Heritage & Arts Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student & Youth Educational Tours (THAKAGAA), Excursions, Field Trips & Cultural Activities Logistics (EDAIANAJ)

Keywords

• Cultural exhibitions
• Arabic language courses
• School educational workshops
• Cultural event programming
• Venue rental services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tourcoing

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IMA-Tourcoing operates as a regional cultural institution dedicated to promoting Arab cultures in the Hauts-de-France region through temporary exhibitions, concerts, conferences, Arabic language courses, educational workshops, and venue privatization. It serves as the northern branch (délégation) of the Institut du monde arabe (Paris), operating from a converted historic former municipal swimming school in Tourcoing.

Product overview

The Institut du monde arabe-Tourcoing is a cultural center located in a converted former swimming school, offering a unified portfolio of cultural services centered on promoting Arab cultures. The institution operates as a single integrated cultural platform comprising temporary art exhibitions, musical performances, Arabic language courses, educational workshops for schools, conferences, and venue rental services. The offering is built around a core mission of cultural mediation and education about Arab and Mediterranean civilizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cultural Exhibitions
• Concerts
• Arabic Language Courses
• School Educational Workshops
• Conferences and Events
• Venue Privatization

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

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

• Musée national Picasso-ParisflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2022Collaborative exhibition 'Picasso et les avant-gardes arabes' (2 April–10 July 2022), organized in partnership with Musée national Picasso-Paris and Institut du monde arabe (Paris). The exhibition presented around 70 works juxtaposing Picasso's pieces with those of Arab artists. The exhibition subsequently traveled to IMA Paris in 2024.
• Institut du monde arabe (Paris)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent institution in Paris. IMA-Tourcoing deploys a branch of IMA Paris's activities in Tourcoing. The Arabic language teaching methodology and positioning tests used at IMA-Tourcoing were developed by IMA Paris. The exhibition 'Picasso et les avant-gardes arabes' was in partnership with IMA Paris. The collection shown at the inaugural exhibition included works from IMA Paris's museum collection.
• Théâtre Raymond DevosminorOthersHost venue for the concert 'Amel Sdiri chante Fayrouz' on 20 September 2026 at Place du Théâtre, Tourcoing. The concert was imagined and organized by IMA-Tourcoing and Attacafa, with the event taking place at Théâtre Raymond Devos.
• AttacafacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural partner co-imagining the concert programming at IMA-Tourcoing. Collaborated on the 'Amel Sdiri chante Fayrouz' concert (20 September 2026) and the 10th anniversary 'Bal des 10 ans' programming (November 2026).
• Centre national des arts plastiques (Cnap)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLending institution for the 'Les Sentinelles' exhibition (September 2022–February 2023). The exhibition was curated from Cnap's photographic and audiovisual collections from the Arab world and its diaspora, featuring 21 artists' works.
• Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporainsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution for the 'Les Sentinelles' exhibition alongside Cnap, contributing to the curatorial and institutional framework of the photography and audiovisual exhibition.
• Institut Français (IF) Méditerranée 2026coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Serge Najjar exhibition 'Le Liban de Serge Najjar' is labeled by Institut Français Méditerranée 2026 and is part of the official programming of the Bicentenary of Photography (Ministry of Culture), running from 1 September 2026 to 30 September 2027.
• Children's Cancer Center Lebanon Foundation France (CCCLF)minorOthersDuring the Serge Najjar exhibition, IMA-Tourcoing committed to supporting pediatric cancer treatment in Lebanon. CCCLF is a non-profit endowment fund founded in 2022 supporting the Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon, which treats 50% of Lebanese pediatric cancer patients with over 80% cure rates.
• FD-FL (Franco-Dutch cultural support)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting the Serge Najjar exhibition as a media/outreach partner. Listed among the institutional supporters of the exhibition alongside Institut Français Méditerranée 2026.
• OLJ (Orient Le Jour)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for the Serge Najjar exhibition 'Le Liban de Serge Najjar', providing press and media support for the cultural event.
• ICI Hauts-de-FranceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional media partner for the Serge Najjar exhibition, contributing to outreach and coverage in the Hauts-de-France region.
• Radio PastelminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for the Serge Najjar exhibition, providing radio/media coverage for the cultural programming.
• Musée du LouvreflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution for the inaugural exhibition 'Le monde arabe dans le miroir des arts' (November 2016–July 2018). Lent archaeological artifacts from the Department of Islamic Art of the Musée du Louvre, including a cuneiform brick and foundation nail from the Sumerian ruler Gudea, alongside works from IMA Paris. Joint curatorial team included Louvre conservators.
• Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques ChiraccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSource institution for the 'Images de héros' exhibition (September 2021–January 2022). The exhibition drew on important chromolithography collections from the museum's archives, featuring religious and epic imagery used in popular culture from the Maghreb to the Middle East.
• MUCEM (Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution for the 'Images de héros' exhibition, lending paintings under glass (peintures sous verre) from its collection, which were displayed alongside chromolithographies from Musée du Quai Branly.
• SNCF VOYAGEURS TER Hauts-de-FranceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSNCF TER Hauts-de-France offers reduced transport rates to IMA-Tourcoing exhibitions for subscribers and same-day ticketholders. IMA-Tourcoing reciprocally offers free or reduced admission to TER Hauts-de-France subscribers, facilitating regional visitor access.
• WeezeventcoreTechnology or IntegrationTicketing and event management technology partner providing secure online payment processing (SSL, 3D Secure), e-ticketing, and event registration services for IMA-Tourcoing's concerts, exhibitions, and events.
• Send In BluecoreTechnology or IntegrationEmail marketing service provider for the IMA-Tourcoing newsletter (Lettre d'information). Handles subscription management, confirmation emails, and GDPR-compliant data processing for the mailing list.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Centre Pompidou-Metz: Regional branch of a national cultural brand (Centre Pompidou) delivering rotating exhibitions outside Paris, financed by regional and EU funds. Architecturally and operationally comparable to IMA-Tourcoing's model of deploying a national cultural identity via a regional hub.
• Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains: Tourcoing-based national contemporary arts center and co-partner on IMA-Tourcoing's 'Les Sentinelles' photography exhibition. Directly comparable as a small-team arts institution housed in a converted building in the same city, drawing on national-level cultural partnerships.
• Musée du Louvre-Lens: Largest regional cultural institution in Hauts-de-France, located ~30 km from Tourcoing. Comparable as a small-team regional museum delivering rotating exhibitions drawn from a major national partner (Louvre), and shares reciprocal admission-card integration with IMA-Tourcoing.
• La Piscine – Musée d'Art et d'Industrie André Diligent (Roubaix): Regional museum in Roubaix, in the same Lille Métropole catchment as IMA-Tourcoing. Comparable as a heritage-building-conversion museum (former textile-industry swimming pool) and a regional cultural tourism competitor for the same visitor pool.

Emerging players

• Aga Khan Museum (Toronto): Internationally focused museum on Islamic arts and cultures with rotating exhibitions, educational programming, and language-related events. Comparable as a peer institution sharing IMA-Tourcoing's mission to present Arab and broader Muslim-world civilizations through arts programming.

Direct peers

• MUCEM (Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée): National museum focused on Mediterranean civilizations, frequently cited alongside IMA-Tourcoing as a peer for Arab-Mediterranean cultural programming. MUCEM lent works to IMA-Tourcoing's 'Images de héros' exhibition, evidencing direct collaboration.
• Institut des cultures d'Islam (Paris): Small public municipal institution in Paris promoting Islamic and related cultures through exhibitions, workshops, language courses, and events — a very close functional twin to IMA-Tourcoing in scale, mission, and programming mix.
• Institut du monde arabe (Paris): Parent institution and the obvious direct peer: same Arab-world cultural mission, larger scale, and the source of IMA-Tourcoing's teaching methodology, language tests, and museum collection loans. Both operate exhibitions, language courses, concerts, and conferences.
• Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac: Paris museum dedicated to non-European civilizations and arts. Directly comparable as a peer because IMA-Tourcoing's exhibitions on Arab-world photography and chromolithography drew on Quai Branly's collections; shares mission overlap on cultural mediation for non-Western civilizations.

Others

• Centre national des arts plastiques (Cnap): France's national collection of contemporary art and a key lending/curatorial partner that supplied works for IMA-Tourcoing's 'Les Sentinelles' exhibition. Functions as an upstream enabler and ecosystem peer for visual-arts programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institut-du-monde-arabe-tourcoing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Institut du monde arabe-Tourcoing