The New Patrons (French: Nouveaux commanditaires) are a series of art projects initiated in the 1990s following a protocol drawn up by Belgian artist François Hers. The terms "Nouveaux commanditaires" or "New Patrons" refer to the protocol established in 1990, the subsequent cultural policy movement, the resulting artworks, and the various mediation organisations responsible for overseeing the projects internationally. New Patrons are the individuals who initiate the commissioning of an artistic project.
The protocol followed by the New Patrons outlines the main stages in developing an artistic project conceived as democratic in nature and originating from a commission by citizens, residents, employees, or any other group with a motivated interest in the creation of a work of art.
The initiative was first established in France under the impetus of the Fondation de France, which supported it from 1990 to 2022. It was introduced in Belgium in 2000, followed by Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and several other countries. Through several hundred projects, the movement has engaged numerous prominent figures in contemporary art, including Daniel Buren, Luciano Fabro, Christian Boltanski, Harun Farocki, Angela Bulloch, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Wim Delvoye, Jean-Michel Othoniel, and Erwin Wurm, as well as contributors from architecture, music, and design. The protocol has also influenced sociologists, philosophers, and art historians, and has been the subject of sustained scholarly research, notably by Bruno Latour, Vinciane Despret, Laurence Bertrand-Dorléac, Joseph Koerner, and Jean-Michel Frodon.
History
As early as 1963, conceptual artist François Hers proposed an approach to art that extended beyond museums, drawing inspiration from the ideas of the Dada movement to establish new relationships between society, artists, and artistic production. Hers' work reflects this ambition, and has often been described as "wild". In 1990, Bernard Latarjet, then president of the Fondation de France, asked Hers to establish a new cultural framework. Hers proposed a mode of action based on artistic requests emanating from society itself. This proposal led to the creation of the Protocole des Nouveaux commanditaires in 1991, encouraging collaboration between citizens and artists.
The protocol introduced by Hers relies on a network of mediators—essentially curators—who facilitate collaboration between patrons and artists. It revives the collaborative and experimental spirit seen in the conceptual works of John Cage, Fluxus, and George Brecht, as well as the concept of participatory art found in conceptual art. This approach challenges traditional power structures, redefining interactions between artists and the public, while retaining intermediaries such as galleries and curators to facilitate social connection. The audience thus gains independence and agency. Central to this dynamic is the artwork itself, which becomes a focal point for collective participation.
Hers published the first formal text of the protocol in 2001, followed in 2012 by a joint publication with Xavier Douroux, Art without Capitalism. Two further books significantly expanded discussions of the New Patrons. In 2013, under the supervision of a committee chaired by Bruno Latour, Faire art comme on fait société assembled 47 contributions from across multiple disciplines. In 2017, an English-language edition, Reclaiming Art – Reshaping Democracy, provided an anglophone perspective, using case studies of existing projects to explore the emergence of public art commissions.
The first artistic projects from the Nouveaux commanditaires programme took place in Burgundy in 1991. Xavier Douroux, director of Dijon's Le Consortium, served as mediator between patrons and artists.
The protocol later expanded beyond France, first to Belgium in 2000. It was introduced in Germany in the late 2000s under the initiative of Sigrid Pawelke.
From 2002 onward, mediators from participating European countries organised under the Société internationale des Nouveaux commanditaires (International Society of the New Patrons).
In 2017, Hers proposed expanding the initiative to philosophy and the humanities in order to address contemporary cultural and social issues, through a programme entitled Nouveaux commanditaires – Sciences, supported by the Fondation de France and other institutions.
In 2022, the Fondation de France, which had until then coordinated and accredited the mediating structures in France and funded projects in France and abroad, announced its withdrawal from the programme. Responsibility was transferred to the French Ministry of Culture. A new French non-profit organisation, the Société des Nouveaux commanditaires en arts et sciences, was subsequently established, supported by both the Fondation de France and the Ministry of Culture.
The protocol of the New Patrons
In his Letter to a Friend, François Hers suggests the emergence of a new chapter in the history of art: an "art of democracy" succeeding the era of modern art. He argues that contemporary conditions make such a development possible, building on the achievements of modernity that began with the Renaissance and continued into the 1960s.
During this long period, artists played a significant role in shaping individual identity and expanding expressive possibilities, contributing to new ways of perceiving the world. Hers argues that these advances supported the emergence of democracy and the development of science and technology.
The Protocol of the New Patrons calls for artistic creation to arise not only from artists or elite commissioners, but directly from society through active dialogue with artists. This democratisation of art is enabled by the freedom of form gained over centuries of artistic experimentation, allowing artists to engage with contemporary cultural issues.
The Protocol also clarifies the roles and responsibilities of each party: citizens (the New Patrons) articulate the rationale for artistic commissions; artists create works in response; politicians and patrons support the initiatives; and philosophers and researchers analyse the issues involved.
In late 2010, the initial artistic protocol was complemented by a specific protocol for the Nouveaux commanditaires – Sciences programme.
Development in the scientific sector
The Protocol of the New Patrons, initially devised for artistic creation, was extended to scientific research in 2013. A new protocol invites citizens to become patrons of scientific projects, enabling them to participate actively in research and development. As with artistic projects, patron-citizens express needs, concerns, or interests, and scientists work with them to develop responses. This approach seeks to promote civic engagement, support dialogue between scientists and local communities, and ensure that scientific research responds to societal needs and values. By extending the New Patrons' protocol to scientific inquiry, the programme offers a model for participatory democracy in science.
Contributing figures Around 500 artists from various disciplines—including sculptors, painters, visual artists, video artists, designers, architects, composers, writers and illustrators— from every continent have received commissions for one or more artistic projects from New Patrons.
The following is a non-exhaustive, alphabetical list of artists or collectives who have produced at least one work within the framework of the Protocol of the New Patrons:
Vito Acconci Elisabeth Ballet Shigeru Ban Robert Barry Cécile Bart Patrick Berger Bigert & Bergström Christian Boltanski Céleste Boursier-Mougenot Goran Bregović Lee Bul Angela Bulloch Balthasar Burkhard Jean-Marc Bustamante Édith Canat de Chizy Alexandre Chemetoff Sandro Chia Claude Closky Delphine Coindet Matali Crasset Anouk De Clercq Pierre de Meuron Hervé Di Rosa Wim Delvoye Maryline Desbiolles Bechara El-Khoury Luciano Fabro Harun Farocki Sylvie Fleury Philippe Forest Michel François Yona Friedman Gloria Friedmann Hamish Fulton Giuseppe Gabellone Anya Gallaccio Martino Gamper Liam Gillick Andy Goldsworthy Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster Peter Halley Camille Henrot Pierre Henry Jacques Herzog Thomas Houseago Jacques Jouet Tadashi Kawamata Jan Kopp David Lang Bertrand Lavier Claude Lévêque Michael Lin Lani Maestro Annette Messager Michel Mossessian Olivier Mosset Jean-Luc Moulène Tania Mouraud Antoni Muntadas Maurizio Nannucci Richard Nonas Melik Ohanian Lucy Orta Jorge Orta Jean-Michel Othoniel Jorge Pardo Philippe Parreno Simon Patterson Yan Pei-Ming Bruno Peinado Carmen Perrin Michelangelo Pistoletto Rudy Ricciotti Robin Rimbaud Ugo Rondinone Martha Rosler Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada Claude Rutault Sarkis Jean-Louis Schoellkopf Ettore Spalletti Barbara Steiner Superflex Niele Toroni Tatiana Trouvé Oscar Tuazon Joëlle Tuerlinckx Felice Varini Joana Vasconcelos Xavier Veilhan Didier Vermeiren Jean-Luc Vilmouth Ulla von Brandenburg Gary Webb Erwin Wurm Rémy Zaugg
Research, reflection and academic work Due to its associative, collaborative and at times democratic process—where the initiative to commission a work may come from any individual and is considered both original and innovative in contrast to conventional art-world mechanisms—the Protocol of the New Patrons and its projects since the 1990s have been the subject of research and publications by numerous academics across a range of disciplines.
In art history, contributors include Meyer Schapiro and Martin Warnke. In philosophy, scholars such as Bruno Latour, Heinz Wismann and Krzysztof Pomian have engaged with the Protocol.
Philosophers of science, including Vinciane Despret and Isabelle Stengers, as well as economist Frédéric Lordon, have also contributed to academic discussions of the initiative.
Major projects
In contemporary art
La Salle des Départs, Departure and Channel of Flight The Salle des Départs is a major work by Italian artist Ettore Spalletti, developed in collaboration with Guido Fanti. It was installed in 1996 at the Raymond Poincaré Hospital in Garches (Hauts-de-Seine, France).
The project originated with Dr François Paraire and Prof Michel Durigon of the hospital's pathological anatomy department, who sought to renovate the morgue's departure room, where families bid farewell to deceased relatives.
Spalletti conceived a total environment marked by symbolic variations of blue evoking the celestial and the eternal. Black and white Carrara marble elements punctuate this contemplative space, offering a dignified setting for bereaved families.
Two musical compositions, Departure by David Lang and Channel of Flight by Robin Rimbaud, were commissioned to accompany the space.
The Salle des Départs seeks to address how death is approached in hospitals and society by transforming a clinical mortuary space into a humane public environment.
The closure of Garches Hospital, expected in 2024, threatens the future of the work. Authorities and members of the artistic community have called for its preservation and reinstallation in a new medical facility.
Colonna di Genk The Colonna di Genk ("Pillar of Genk"), erected in Genk (Limburg, Belgium), is the final work of Italian artist Luciano Fabro, who died in 2007.
The column embodies the mining heritage of Belgian Limburg and symbolises the longstanding links between local communities and Italy. Commissioned in 2005, the sculpture represents the resilience of local residents in the face of the mining industry's decline, the social challenges experienced by Italian immigrant workers, and subsequent economic difficulties.
Made from Italian Carrara marble, the Doric column reflects the deep connection between Genk and the Italian mining communities that contributed to the region's industrial growth.