The French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici
The Villa Medici channels its energies into three areas: conserving heritage, raising the profile of French culture and promoting contemporary creativity. It is in this promotion that the Louis Roederer Foundation has opted to invest. The Villa takes in 16 residents each year, representing a wide range of artistic fields.
© Assaf Shoshan
Flying the flag for French culture
Founded in 1666 by Louis XIV, the French Academy in Rome or Villa Medici welcomes artists, authors and researchers in residence, offering them an environment ideal for developing artistic or research projects. An important institution, it finds itself at the crossroads of Europe and the Mediterranean, serving as a major cultural heritage site, a laboratory for creativity and research, a centre for exhibitions and performances, and an eco-responsible garden.
Through its commitment to innovation and diversity, it is a key pillar of the contemporary art scene, perfectly aligned with the mission of the Louis Roederer Foundation.
I have always found it very interesting that where we might have expected it to focus on heritage issues, the Louis Roederer Foundation prefers supporting its resident artists and contemporary creativity, always with the message – and here we share the same values – that today’s creations, when well chosen, will become tomorrow’s heritage.
© Daniele Molajoli
Support for Fellows
Since 2020, every year the Louis Roederer Foundation has been helping host 16 residents and sponsoring their end-of-year exhibition. The exhibition represents an artistic destination at the crossroads of various fields, from visual arts to musical composition, literature, architecture, stagecraft, fine food, art history and theory, and restoration/conservation. For the exhibition, the works leave the privacy of the residents’ studios and head for display spaces where they can be seen by the public.
Villa Medici x Louis Roederer Foundation Production Grants
In September 2017, the French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici initiated the creation of a production fund designed to support and assist projects initiated by Fellows during their residency and to accompany them after their residency.
In 2023, Hortense de Corneillan caught the Foundation’s attention, and the following year the Villa Medici x Louis Roederer Foundation Production Grants were created.
The Louis Roederer Foundation now selects and supports two co-production projects each year: one artistic project and one research project.
