MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain

What MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain does

MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain is a publicly funded contemporary art institution established in 2019 in Montpellier, France, operating across three venues: the Hôtel des Collections (the main temporary-exhibition venue at 13 rue de la République), the Panacée (a secondary exhibition venue at 14 rue de l'École de Pharmacie that also houses the Café de la Panacée), and the ESBA (École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Montpellier, a higher-education art school at 130 rue Yéhudi Ménuhin). The institution serves a distributed audience of contemporary art visitors, families, school groups, and art students through temporary exhibitions featuring internationally recognized artists (e.g., an upcoming Kiki Smith solo show, 13.06.26–11.10.26), educational workshops, cultural events, and curriculum-aligned activities.

The core product is curated contemporary art programming and cultural education, supported by three operating subsidiaries — MO.CO. ESBA, FAUNE restaurant, and Le Café de la Panacée — alongside a bookstore (Librairie-Boutique) selling exhibition catalogues and merchandise. The underlying technology is minimal: a Drupal-based content management system powering the moco.art website, integrated with an external ticketing platform (moco.qweekle.com) maintained by digital agency Mazedia, with visual identity by design agency Zoo and press relations handled by COMMUNIC'ART.

MO.CO.'s revenue model blends public and private streams. Public-sector institutional partners — the Préfet de la région Occitanie, La Région Occitanie, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, and Ville de Montpellier — provide subsidies and venue infrastructure. Earned revenue comes from transactional ticket sales (€8 adult, €5 senior, €3 family/youth, with broad free-admission categories), recurring annual memberships (MOCO Pass Solo €20, Duo €35), on-site F&B at FAUNE and Café de la Panacée, bookstore and merchandise sales, multilingual exhibition catalogue publishing (French, English, Chinese), and venue privatization. The institution also operates an enterprise foundation (Fondation d'entreprise) and a friends' association (Association des amis du MO.CO.) to mobilize private sponsorship. Leadership sits with Director General Nicolas Bourriaud; the previous Exhibition Director, Vincent Honoré, passed away in December 2023.

Name

MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain

Legal name

MO.CO.

Website

https://moco.art

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain is a publicly funded French contemporary art institution operating three Montpellier venues — Hôtel des Collections, Panacée, and the ESBA art school — serving general public visitors, families, school groups, and art students through temporary exhibitions, education, restaurants, and a bookstore.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Institution & Cultural Center

NAICS

Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Contemporary art exhibitions
• Art museum services
• Cultural institution programming
• Art education programs
• Exhibition catalogue publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Montpellier

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from admission fees to exhibitions for visitors of all ages
2. Membership Subscriptions: Annual MOCO Pass cards offering solo and duo options for repeat visitors
3. Restaurant Operations: On-site dining at FAUNE restaurant and Café de la Panacée, generating food and beverage revenue
4. Bookstore Sales: Librairie-boutique selling books and exhibition-derived merchandise, including published catalogues
5. Editions and Catalogues: Sale of MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain editions and exhibition catalogues published in multiple languages

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain is a public contemporary art institution operating three venues in Montpellier: the Hôtel des Collections (main exhibition space), MO.CO. Panacée (second exhibition venue), and MO.CO. ESBA (École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts art school). It offers temporary contemporary art exhibitions, cultural events, educational workshops and guided tours, degree-level fine arts education, an on-site bookstore selling exhibition catalogues and merchandise, and two restaurants (FAUNE and Café de la Panacée).

Product overview

MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain is a contemporary art institution operating across three distinct venues: MO.CO. Hôtel des Collections (main exhibition space), MO.CO. Panacée (second exhibition venue), and MO.CO. ESBA (École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts art school). The institution offers temporary exhibitions, educational workshops, cultural events, an on-site bookstore selling exhibition merchandise and catalogues, and two restaurants. The offering is structured as a multi-venue cultural center rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MO.CO. Hôtel des Collections Main exhibition venue of MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain, located at 13 rue de la République, Montpellier. Hosts temporary contemporary art exhibitions and cultural events for the general public, art enthusiasts, and cultural tourists.
• MO.CO. Panacée Second exhibition venue of MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain, located at 14 rue de l'École de Pharmacie, Montpellier. Hosts contemporary art exhibitions and houses the Café de la Panacée restaurant.
• MO.CO. ESBA (École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Montpellier) Art school component offering higher education in fine arts, located at 130 rue Yéhudi Ménuhin, Montpellier. Provides professional artistic training and degree programs to enrolled students.
• Librairie-Boutique du MO.CO. Museum shop offering books and merchandise derived from temporary exhibitions, located at MO.CO. 13 rue de la République. Serves exhibition visitors and members of the public interested in contemporary art publications.
• Éditions du MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain In-house publishing line producing catalogues and publications tied to exhibitions, available in multiple languages (French, English, Chinese). Sold at the on-site bookstore and Panacée welcome desk.
• FAUNE Restaurant On-site restaurant at MO.CO. Hôtel des Collections, located at 13 rue de la République, Montpellier. Serves exhibition visitors and the general public.
• Le Café de La Panacée Restaurant at MO.CO. Panacée, located at 14 rue de l'École de Pharmacie, Montpellier. Open Wednesday to Saturday 9h00-01h00 and Sunday 11h00-18h00. Serves exhibition visitors and the general public.
• Educational visits, workshops, and guided tours Guided tours, educational workshops, and creative activities for families, school groups, and the general public. Coordinated through the cultural mediation service and bookable via [email protected]. Group rate of €3 per participant applies.
• MOCO Pass membership Annual membership pass offering solo (€20) and duo (€35) options for repeat visitors to MO.CO. exhibitions. Provides year-round access for individuals and a guest of choice.

Named customers2 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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Préfet de la région OccitaniecoreOthersInstitutional partner providing regional governmental support to MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain as a cultural institution in the Occitanie region.
• La Région OccitaniecoreOthersRegional council providing institutional funding and support for cultural programming at MO.CO.
• Montpellier Méditerranée MétropolecoreOthersMetropolitan government authority supporting MO.CO. as a key cultural institution serving the Montpellier metropolitan area.
• Ville de MontpelliercoreOthersCity of Montpellier providing municipal support and partnership for MO.CO. as the city's contemporary art center.
• COMMUNIC'ARTminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublic relations agency handling press relations for MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain. Contact: Julie Tournier, Attachée de presse, +33 (0)6 51 54 85 74

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Palais de Tokyo: Paris-based contemporary art center with parallel mission of presenting experimental and contemporary exhibitions, hosting cultural events, F&B, and educational programming. Most direct French peer given overlapping curatorial ethos and comparable institutional scale ambition.
• Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain: Paris-based private foundation dedicated to contemporary art exhibitions, artist commissions, and cultural programming. Direct peer given shared emphasis on temporary exhibitions, catalogue publishing, and artist-centered programming.
• Centre Pompidou-Metz: Regional branch of Centre Pompidou in Metz, France, focused on modern and contemporary art exhibitions outside Paris. Direct peer given similar regional French contemporary art positioning, public funding model, and exhibition-driven model.
• MAC Lyon (Musée d'Art Contemporain de Lyon): Major French regional contemporary art museum combining exhibitions, educational programming, and cultural events. Direct peer as a comparable regional French contemporary art institution with similar revenue model and audience profile.
• FRAC Occitanie Montpellier: Regional contemporary art collection (Fonds Régional d'Art Contemporain) headquartered in Montpellier, serving the same Occitanie region and audience. Direct peer given identical geography and overlapping mission of supporting contemporary artists and exhibitions.
• Carré d'Art Nîmes: Contemporary art museum in Nîmes (Occitanie) combining a public art collection with temporary exhibitions in a Foster-designed building. Direct peer in the same French region with similar public-institution structure and contemporary art focus.
• Magasin - Centre National d'Art Contemporain (Grenoble): National contemporary art center housed in a historic industrial building in Grenoble, presenting exhibitions, residencies, and educational programming. Direct peer given similar non-collecting contemporary art center format with public funding support.

Regional players

• Tate Modern: London-based national modern and contemporary art museum where the late Vincent Honoré previously curated. Comparable institution in mission (contemporary art presentation and education) but operates in a different national market with substantially greater scale and government backing.

Broad incumbents

• MUCEM (Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée): Major French national museum in Marseille with broader cultural scope than MO.CO., but comparable as a publicly funded French regional cultural institution with on-site F&B, retail, and event programming.
• Centre Pompidou (Paris): Major national modern and contemporary art museum in Paris with much larger permanent collection, attendance, and international brand. Broad incumbent in the same contemporary art category but operating at significantly greater scale with a permanent collection focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mocontemporain
• Facebookfacebook.com/montpelliercontemporain
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/moco-montpelliercontemporain
• Instagraminstagram.com/montpelliercontemporain

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 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 MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain