The Frac (Fonds régionaux d’art contemporain) are institutions whose mission is to acquire public collections of contemporary art and make them accessible to a broad public, including people not necessarily familiar with this kind of work.
Founded in 1982 as a joint effort by the national and regional governments, they have supported contemporary art and artists for more than three decades. The Frac Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is located in a building designed by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, built in the Marseille neighbourhood of Joliette as part of the Euroméditerranée urban renewal project. Since the inauguration of this new venue in 2013, it has become emblematic of what are known as the “new generation” of Frac. With 1,300 artworks by more than 600 artists, it plays a role on the regional, national and international level, inventing new modes of bringing its collection to the public through a network of partners. As a laboratory for artistic experimentation, its programming is designed to encourage interrogations of our society while making contemporary art accessible in the six departments that make up the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. The Frac in Marseille is open throughout the year to visitors who want to explore this building and the art collections within its walls as they change with the seasons.