villa Arson
Villa Arson
A new kind of institution
Under the stewardship of the Ministry of Culture, and a legal entity affiliated with the Université Côte d’Azur since 2020, Villa Arson was conceived in the 1960s by André Malraux, then Minister of Cultural Affairs, as part of a wide-reaching program of cultural decentralisation.
Since its inauguration in 1972, it has established itself as a pioneering institution fulfilling a number of critical and complementary functions that foster creativity, including teaching, research, experimentation, production, dissemination, value creation and support.
Villa Arson’s uniqueness also lies in the intersection of its diverse spheres of activity — a school, art center and library, plus a research and residency hub — creating a fertile ground for creative cross-pollination.
The school is home to approximately 230 students and a single department, dedicated to the arts, which caters to a broad spectrum of disciplines and practices. The art center runs an exhibition program that is open to international artists and prioritises emerging talent. In keeping with its global scope, Villa Arson also hosts artists-in-residence year-round, connecting students to multi-faceted creative scenes and enhancing their own artistic projects.
Villa Arson is classified as a “Historical Monument” and has also been awarded the “Remarkable Contemporary Architecture” label.
