The 1% for art scheme and public commissions: decoding calls for proposals

01What the 1% for art concretely means

The 1% for art is a legal obligation, not a grant programme or an art prize. Each time a public building is constructed or undergoes major renovation exceeding a certain threshold, the contracting authority, generally a local authority, a ministry or a public institution, must dedicate a percentage of the construction budget to an artistic commission. The amount is capped and varies according to the nature of the building and the total works budget, but it can represent significant sums for an independent artist, ranging from a few thousand to several tens of thousands of euros for a single commission.

Daniel Buren has completed numerous public commissions under the 1% scheme, including the famous columns at the Palais-Royal in Paris, which have become one of the best-known works of French contemporary art. But the 1% scheme does not only concern big names and big budgets. The vast majority of commissions are awarded to mid-career or emerging artists, for projects in primary schools, secondary schools, media libraries or gymnasiums. A ceramist who installs a work in the entrance hall of a provincial secondary school participates in the same mechanism as Buren at the Palais-Royal. The difference is of scale, not of nature.

02How the call for proposals works

The call for proposals for a 1% commission follows a procedure regulated by the decree relating to the obligation of decoration of public buildings. The contracting authority assembles an artistic committee composed of representatives of the institution that will occupy the building, a representative from the Ministry of Culture via the regional DRAC, and qualified figures in the field of contemporary art, often exhibition curators, critics or directors of cultural institutions. This committee drafts an artistic programme describing the building's context, the spirit of the place, expectations regarding the work, technical constraints for installation and the available budget.

The call is published on official platforms accessible to all. The public procurement platform, DRAC websites and specialised bulletins distribute current calls. Felice Varini, known for his geometric interventions in public space that play with perspective and architecture, responded to many such calls throughout his career, starting with modest projects in Switzerland before landing major commissions in France and around the world.

The procedure generally unfolds in two distinct phases. The first is the application phase: you submit a file comprising your artistic CV, a portfolio of previous works with professional-quality images, a statement of intent explaining your interest in the specific project and the directions you envisage, and the required administrative documents such as tax and social compliance certificates. The committee examines the files and selects a limited number of candidates, generally three to five, who proceed to the second phase.

The second phase is the project phase. Selected artists receive a fee to develop a concrete proposal adapted to the site. You visit the location, meet the architects and the building's future users, develop a detailed project with model, projected budget and production timeline. The committee examines the projects and chooses the winner. The artist who is not selected keeps their project fee, which means the time invested is at least partially compensated.

03Keys to building a solid application

The application file is your first and sometimes only communication tool with the artistic committee. It must be impeccable without being pretentious, professional without being cold. The artistic CV should list your exhibitions, residencies, any previous commissions and your training. If you have never responded to a 1% call, this is not a disqualifying handicap: the committee seeks above all the relevance of the work to the project, not a fifty-line CV. An emerging artist whose work perfectly responds to the artistic programme has every chance against a more experienced artist whose work does not fit the context.

The portfolio is the most important element of the file. It should contain between ten and twenty images of your most representative works, in flawless photographic quality. Blurry, poorly lit or badly framed photos betray a lack of professionalism that disqualifies your application before the committee has even evaluated your work. Each image should be captioned with the title, technique, dimensions, date and installation location if applicable. Xavier Veilhan, whose sculptures occupy public spaces worldwide, always presents extremely polished portfolios where photographic documentation of works in situ is as important as studio views, because it shows the committee how the artist thinks about the relationship between work and space.

The statement of intent is the text that makes the difference between a generic application and one that captures attention. In one page, you explain what in the artistic programme of this particular call resonates with your practice. Not a generic text about your vision of contemporary art, but a specific text showing you have read the programme, understood the building's context and its future users, and have concrete ideas for responding. The committee immediately spots statements of intent copied and pasted from one call to another, and this intellectual laziness is grounds for elimination.

04Budget and compensation

The 1% budget covers the design, production, installation and potentially maintenance of the work over a given period. This budget is fixed in the call for proposals and is generally not negotiable upward. It includes your artistic fee, production costs (materials, fabrication, any subcontracting), installation costs (transport, crane, masonry) and necessary insurance.

A crucial point that many artists discover too late: the 1% budget does not distinguish between your fee and production costs. It is up to you to build your projected budget so that, once fabrication and installation costs are covered, a decent fee remains for your design, creation and site supervision work. Nathalie Talec, who has completed several large-scale public commissions, always insists on the importance of rigorously costing production before committing, to avoid ending up funding the work from your own pocket, which happens more often than people think.

The project fee, paid to candidates selected for phase two even if they are not chosen, is generally in the range of a few thousand euros. This fee partially compensates the time devoted to developing the project: the site visit, model design, projected budget writing. It is taxable and must be declared as part of your artistic income.

05Beyond the 1%: other public commissions

The 1% for art is not the only public commission mechanism accessible to independent artists. The National Centre for Visual Arts (CNAP) runs national public commission programmes for works in public space, artist residencies and acquisitions for state collections. Regional contemporary art funds (FRAC) acquire works and commission specific projects. Municipalities regularly launch calls for works in urban space, from park interventions to installations in tramway stations.

Huang Yong Ping created some of his most striking works through French public commissions, such as Le Serpent d'ocean at Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, a monumental sculpture that has become a pilgrimage site for contemporary art enthusiasts. Tatiana Trouve benefited from CNAP support for several of her installations. These examples show that public commissions are not a parallel circuit disconnected from the art market: they are a full part of it and can constitute a turning point in an artist's career.

06Resources for finding calls

Calls for 1% proposals are published through several channels that you must learn to monitor regularly. The Ministry of Culture website centralises information on current public commissions. Each region's DRAC publishes local calls on their websites and through their newsletters. Professional associations relay opportunities. Specialised platforms and the newsletter from FRAAP regularly distribute current calls with clearly indicated deadlines.

The habit of monitoring is the key. Dedicating thirty minutes per week to consulting these sources and identifying calls that match your practice is a modest investment that can lead to commissions worth tens of thousands of euros. Sculptor Vincent Mauger built a significant part of his career on public commissions, systematically responding to calls compatible with his work and accepting that the majority of his applications would not be selected, which is normal and healthy in this competitive process.

A practical tip: create a template application file, with your up-to-date artistic CV, your high-resolution portfolio and a statement of intent template that you will personalise for each call. This ready-to-use file will allow you to respond quickly when an interesting call is published, as response deadlines are often short, typically four to six weeks. The artist who must start from scratch with every application wastes precious time and risks missing opportunities simply through lack of preparation. Public commissions reward organised artists as much as talented ones.

Artedusa is the foundation of your professional visibility while you develop your presence in the public commission market. Your artist page on the platform constitutes an online portfolio consultable by artistic committee members when they seek additional information about a candidate, and every sale made on Artedusa reinforces your credibility as a professional active in the art market. Discover artedusa.com.