After more than ten years of commitment to promoting the visibility of women and non-binary artists, AWARE (Archives of Women Artists, Research & Exhibitions), a non-profit organization under the French law of 1901, joined the Centre Pompidou on January 1, 2026. Integrated as a unit within the Musée national d’art moderne (National Museum of Modern Art), the organization will continue and expand its essential missions of research and promotion. It will also strengthen the Museum’s initiatives in this area, particularly concerning women creators represented in the collection and within the broader history of modern and contemporary art.
This partnership is a result of a constructive dialogue between the Centre Pompidou and AWARE, which was founded as an extension of the work undertaken by Camille Morineau for elles@centrepompidou, a thematic display of the Museum’s collections shown from May 2009 to February 2011, for which she served as curator. This integration will ensure the continuation of AWARE’s research and outreach activities, which have long been supported by the French Ministry of Culture and sustained through the dedication of numerous loyal patrons.
AWARE’s integration marks the convergence of a shared history and a mutual commitment between the organization and the Museum. Since elles@centrepompidou, the Centre Pompidou has strengthened its dedication to support women artists, both through acquisitions and exhibitions, with major initiatives such as Elles font l’abstraction (2021). In parallel, AWARE’s development has been enriched through ongoing scholarly exchanges with many of the Museum’s curators. Today, the Centre Pompidou offers a lasting framework that enables AWARE to pursue its activities, while preserving its mission and collaborative, horizontal working methods. Supported by the exceptional multidisciplinary collections of the Musée national d’art moderne and the expertise of its teams, AWARE is poised to open a new chapter in its history.
Co-founded in 2014 by Camille Morineau, heritage curator and art historian, AWARE works to rebalance the presence of women and non-binary artists from the 16th to the 21st century in art history and critical discourse. To achieve this, it produces and shares scholarly resources through a free, trilingual (French/English/Japanese), and unique online platform, which attracts more than 80,000 unique visitors each month. This database features over 1,400 biographical entries, nearly 250 research articles, and an international network of more than 500 contributors. As of the autumn of 2025, the platform has expanded to include the fields of design and architecture.
Since moving in 2021 to the Villa Vassilieff in Paris, AWARE has brought together a community of artists and experts through a program of events, youth workshops, and a library redesigned by the designer matali crasset. From this venue, AWARE has developed several major research programs and international networks: AMIS (a network of partner museums), TEAM (an academic network), and NEST (an alliance of independent organizations).
The AWARE Prizes have also become a benchmark for the promotion and recognition of the work of women and non-binary artists. Their tenth edition, to be held in 2026 and hosted for the first time by the Centre Pompidou, will be an opportunity to celebrate all that has been accomplished.
“Having bet on a digital platform, AWARE has become a truly unique resource. Free, trilingual, internationally ambitious, and above all accessible to all, the organization has helped bring gender studies into museum programs in France and abroad. I am delighted that it will now flourish within such a prestigious institution. It is both a crowning achievement and, I am sure, a new beginning.”
Camille Morineau, founder of AWARE
“The integration of AWARE into the Centre Pompidou will, I hope, anchor the work carried out for over 10 years by Camille Morineau and her team within an institutional framework. Making women artists visible is essential to addressing current social issues and is one of the Centre Pompidou’s key commitments in recent years.”
Laurent Le Bon, President of the Centre Pompidou
AWARE extends its thanks to all the patrons who have supported its development: CHANEL, a founding and long-standing sponsor of the organization; Sygna Partners, AWARE’s legal supporter since its inception; as well as Engie and the Engie Foundation, the Elysées Monceau Endowment Fund, Maison Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Neuflize OBC, the Niki Charitable Art Foundation, the Ny Carlsbergfondet, and the Terra Foundation for American Art, all loyal supporters of its programs and publications over the years. The association also expresses its gratitude to AWARE-USA, whose support for AWARE’s activities in the United States has attracted the involvement of Bloomberg Philanthropies, Schneps Media, and Treadwell. AWARE JAPAN was created thanks to the support of the Per Ardua ad Astra Endowment Fund, which also led to the participation of the Marukawa Collection. Finally, AWARE thanks Cartier, Frederick Mulder Ltd, the Joan Mitchell Foundation, the Fondation Antoine de Galbert, the artist Manuel Mathieu (Marie-Solanges Apollon Fund), the Meyer Louis-Dreyfus Fund, the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art, the Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation, Outset Partners, Tavolozza Foundation, and all individual donors for their ongoing support of research.
