Architecture

MO.CO.

Montpellier

MO.CO. is a contemporary art institution in Montpellier. The name Montpellier Contemporain was created by arrêté, and the institution was initiated by Montpellier Metropolis and art critic Nicolas Bourriaud. It later acquired the status of a public establishment of cultural cooperation (EPCC) and became a multi-site institution with authority to issue its own diplomas. In 2020, it received the label of national interest contemporary art center, announced by culture minister Franck Riester.

The institution has operated in Montpellier 3M and the city of Montpellier since 2014 through sites dedicated to contemporary art. Its composition includes MO.CO. Esba, a public higher education and research institution with an artistic vocation under the Ministry of Culture and Communication, and MO.CO. Panacée, a contemporary art center located in the former royal medical college in Montpellier. MO.CO. Panacée includes an exhibition space in L’Écusson, as well as a restaurant, a university residence in partnership with CROUS, a patio, and an auditorium. The exhibition space has no permanent collection and hosts public or private collections from around the world. The institution also manages a boutique at MO.CO. Panacée run by Sauramps, and occupies an area in the former Hôtel Montcalm near Montpellier-Saint-Roch station.

Map showing the location of MO.CO. in Montpellier
Location of MO.CO. in Montpellier

Nearby Objects

Institutional Status and Recognition

Montpellier Contemporain, the denomination used for MO.CO, was created by arrete. The reprise was initiated by Montpellier metropolis and art critic Nicolas Bourriaud. MO.CO then acquired the status of a public establishment of cultural cooperation, or EPCC, and became a multi-site institution with authority to issue its own diplomas. A procedure involving Montpellier Contemporain was later declared without follow-up after nearly one week. In addition, culture minister Franck Riester announced that MO.CO would receive the national interest contemporary art center label, which applies from 2020.

MO.CO. and its Contemporary Art Sites

MO.CO. operates in Montpellier 3M and reflects a collaboration between the city of Montpellier and contemporary art sites initiated in 2014. It brings together several related institutions and venues. Among them is MO.CO. Esba, a public higher education and research institution with an artistic vocation under the Ministry of Culture and Communication. Composition integrates MO.CO. Esba into the public cultural cooperation establishment MO.CO.

MO.CO. also administers MO.CO. Panacee, a contemporary art center located in the former royal medical college in Montpellier. This site includes an exhibition space in L'Ecusson of Montpellier, as well as a restaurant, a university residence in partnership with CROUS, a patio, and an auditorium. The exhibition space does not have a permanent collection and presents public or private collections from around the world. MO.CO. Panacee also includes a boutique run by Sauramps.

In addition, MO.CO. occupies an area in the former Hotel Montcalm near Montpellier-Saint-Roch station, further extending its presence in the city.