MO.CO.
Located in the heart of the city, this former private mansion from the early 19th century has been transformed into an art center dedicated to international exhibitions. It is the main entity of Montpellier Contemporain, an artistic ecosystem hat goes from arts training to collection, production, exhibition and mediation, which encompasses a fine arts school and two contemporary art centres.
Located in the heart of the city, this former private mansion from the early 19th century has been transformed into an art center dedicated to international exhibitions. It is the main entity of Montpellier Contemporain, an artistic ecosystem hat goes from arts training to collection, production, exhibition and mediation, which encompasses a fine arts school and two contemporary art centres.
Programme
The École des beaux-arts of Montpellier: a singular history
Venue: MO.CO.
Since 2021, SOL ! La biennale du territoire has highlighted the vitality of contemporary creation in Occitanie. For this third edition, MO.CO. and the Musée Fabre have formed an exceptional partnership to pay tribute to a major player in Montpellier’s artistic life: the École des Beaux-Arts.
The exhibition explores a rich, long-standing and sometimes little-known history, where academic heritage, radical experimentation and international openness intertwine. It brings together works by former students, spanning from the school’s origins to 2019. The project also brings together a broad regional network, with major loans from the MRAC Occitanie in Sérignan, the Carré d’Art – Musée d’art contemporain de Nîmes, and the FRAC Occitanie Montpellier. Artistic partnerships have also been established with the FRAC Occitanie Montpellier, the Musée Paul Valéry in Sète, and the city’s non-profit galleries.
The Spirit of the Studio
Venue: MO.CO. Panacée
Echoing the exhibition that MO.CO. dedicates to the history of the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts of Montpellier (MO.CO. Esba), MO.CO. Panacée offers a reflection on a true “case study”: the studio of Djamel Tatah at the École des Beaux-Arts of Paris. A professor at the institution for fifteen years, Djamel Tatah trained a generation of artists whose diversity of practices, singular career paths and rapid emergence on the national art scene continue to intrigue.
The exhibition brings together more than 120 works, either recent or specially produced for the occasion. Through painting — oscillating between figuration and abstraction — as well as drawing, sculpture, weaving and installation, the 16 artists open up inner worlds, both real and fictional, situated at the threshold between the present and the collective imagination. Their representations, marked by great formal diversity, draw inspiration from old masters as well as vernacular practices, Persian miniatures, diasporic heritages, contemporary music, and pop and post-internet culture. Often working through fragments, they explore interstices, margins and their many possibilities.
Access
MO.CO
13, rue de la République, 34000 Montpellier
Open from Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 7pm (June - September) and 11am to 6pm (October - May)
MO.CO. Panacée
14, rue de l’École de Pharmacie, 34000 Montpellier
Open from Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 7pm (June - September) and 11am to 6pm (October - May)
+33 (0)4 99 58 28 00
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PLACES TO DISCOVER
• Le Jardin des Plantes
• Musée et Conservatoire d’Anatomie
• La Halle Tropisme : an associative place where the Montpellier's culture and party combine. Bar and restaurant.
• FRAC Occitanie Montpellier
• Musée Fabre
• Pavillon Populaire
• Espace Saint-Ravy
• Mécènes du sud Montpellier-Sète
• Aperto
• Iconoscope
• AL/MA gallery
• La Jetée, art gallery and studio
• CRAC Occitanie (Sète)
• Musée International des Arts Modestes (Sète)
AT THE MO.CO
• MO.CO. Panacée : patio with a garden designed by Coloco.
• MO.CO. : site-specific artworks to discover, the garden designed by Bertrand Lavier, Jardin des sept continents (2019) and Les arrosoirs arrosés (2019) and Loris Gréaud’s artwork, Idle Mode (2019) in the bar-restaurant.
• MO.CO. Esba : in the schoolyards: artworks by Fabrice Hyber, Prééau (2019) and Bob & Roberta Smith, this is a freedom of Expression Centre (2019).
PLACES TO EAT
• Le Pastis : a first Michelin star in 2021. Come and enjoy the surprise menus of Daniel Lutrand and Jean-Philippe Vivant.
• Leclere : Guillaume Leclere enhances the products, the season, the nature. A must-go.
• Faune : a creative and modern Provençal bistronomy with foreign influences.
• Mikado : japanese Chef Takétomo Lulu Sumi (ex-Ito Chan) cooks “the best ramen in France” according to Le Fooding.
• Rosemarie : mediterranean cuisine and cocktail bar with a big terrace, in the historic centre.
• Ikonka : salads, pies, super fresh and non-classical unique dish. A wide variety of pastries.
• Zaatar : the best falafel in the region!
• Äponem, l’auberge du presbytère : a gastronomic journey inspired by the Hérault’s wilderness, signed by Chef Amélie Darvas and sommelier Gaby Benicio. (Vailhan)
HAVE A DRINK
• Café de la Panacée : restaurant for lunchtime, you can come have a drink all day long and enjoy tapas in the evening in the pleasant and vast courtyard.
• Panka : come and enjoy regional products, natural wines and seafood tapas.
• Les Garçons : a lively bar-tapas-wine cellar downtown.
• Le Parfum : you will find the best cocktails in the city.
• Le Poisson Rouge : a former house of oyster farmers with a breathtaking view, offering a simple and tasty cuisine inspired by the sea. (Frontignan)
• La plage Bonaventure (Palavas-les-Flots)
PLACES TO STAY
• Le Mas de la Feuillade : guest houses in the heart of a classified park.
• La Merci : guest houses with an indoor garden, very good value for money.
• Hôtel du Palais : in the heart of the district l’Écusson since 1870, very close to the famous Place de la Canourgue.
• Hôtel Oceania Le Métropole : just a step from the MO.CO, an iconic place built in 1898 in the style of the French Riviera’s prestigious palaces.
