Founded in 1981 by a group of young architects and educators including Francine Fort, Michel and Philippe Jacques, arc en rêve was born out of innovative experiments with children, focusing on architecture and the notion of space. This original project quickly evolved into a key institution in architectural culture, both nationally and internationally.
Over the years, arc en rêve has forged a unique bond with its home town of Bordeaux, while developing an international reach. Its workshops, exhibitions, publications, meetings, tours and urban itineraries have provided a platform for critically questioning architecture and encouraging the involvement of residents and those responsible for making the city what it is. This forum for exchange has also been the scene of important early monographic exhibitions by major figures in contemporary architecture, including Shigeru Ban, Frank O. Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Diébédo Francis Kéré, Lacaton & Vassal, Wang Shu and Junya Ishigami.
Alongside its role as a cultural promoter, arc en rêve has also actively contributed to reflection on the city and space, through major thematic exhibitions. Mutations, the 2000 exhibition curated by Rem Koohlaas, Stefano Boeri, Sanford Kwinter, Nadia Tazi and Hans Ulrich Obrist, is an emblematic example. Its famous yellow-covered catalog remains a benchmark for architectural agencies the world over.
Both a global and local player, arc en rêve has also been active in the development of Bordeaux and its surrounding area. The story of the development of the right bank of the Garonne, marked by the abandonment of a neo-classical project thanks to a call for ideas launched by the institution in 1989, is a perfect illustration of the profound symbiosis between the architectural center and its context. This project, like so many others, underlines the importance of arc en rêve as an essential partner for public players involved in urban transformation. From the outset, the institution has established itself as a laboratory of ideas, at the forefront of major developments in the Bordeaux metropolis, whether in terms of transport, housing or urban planning.
Working on this dual scale, arc en rêve's exhibitions often present ideas and concepts from distant contexts, but always put into perspective with local issues and challenges. This synergy between the local and the global is probably one of the institution's most valuable legacies. Added to this is a culture of curiosity, cultivated for almost fifty years by its founders, but also by a team whose professionalism and creativity are recognized and appreciated the world over.
arc en rêve in brief...
arc en rêve in brief...
Creation of arc en rêve center d'architecture > May 1980
Opening at l'Entrepôt > January 6, 1981
Founding members :
Francine Fort co-founder of arc en rêve and general manager from 1980 to 2021
Michel Jacques arc en rêve co-founder and artistic director from 1980 to 2021
Daniel Berguedieu / Micheline Chaban-Delmas / Jean Michel Coudret / Michel Dejos / Bruno Fayolle-Lussac / Chaude Guislain / Philippe Jacques / Anne Lacaton / Pierre Lajus / Claude Laroche / Pierre Mahon / Jean Marieu / Jacques Puissant / Michèle Sporny
Presidents from 1981 to present :
Denis Mollat, president from 2017 to 2019
Michel Lussault, president from 2011 to 2017
François Barré, president from 2007 to 2011
Serge Goldberg, president from 2001 to 2007
Micheline Chaban-Delmas, honorary president
Serge Goldberg, Honorary Chairman
Composition of the Board of Directors
Franco̧is Brouat, Chairman
Jean-Christophe Aguas / Philippe Barrieu / Daniel Berguedieu / Charles-Marie Boret / Marjan Hessamfar / Stéphane Hirschberger / Louise Lemoine / Jean Marieu / Denis Mollat / Etienne Parin / Boubacar Seck / Céline Villars / Camille Zvenigorosky
arc en rêve is a member of