Martine Franck Curatorial Research Grant

The Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Martine Franck.
The Fondation holds all the prints, film negatives, contact sheets and documents bequeathed by the two photographers. 

Created in 2025, the Martine Franck Curatorial Research Grant aims to help researchers and curators develop a research and exhibition project on the work of Martine Franck and/or Henri Cartier-Bresson, working from the Foundation’s archives.

Awarded every two years, the Grant provides the recipient—selected from a new international generation of scholars—with ideal conditions to carry out their research, and contributes to renewing curatorial approaches on the work of the two photographers by supporting original and contemporary perspectives.

The Martine Franck Curatorial Research Grant is supported by the Linklaters Foundation.

FUNCTIONING AND GRANT

Selected upon application by a jury of five professionals from the worlds of research and curatorial practice, the recipient of the Martine Franck Curatorial Research Grant receives an allocation of €7,000 to curate an exhibition at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson and  conceive a publication.

The recipient also benefits from facilitated access to the Foundation’s archives, research support and mentoring for curatorial work.

At the end of the research year, the exhibition is presented to the public at Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in “the Tube” (80 m2). The book is published in collaboration with a publishing house. 

The grant is intended to cover research and curatorial work, the production of material for the exhibition and the book, supervision of the book’s production, as well as any travel and accommodation expenses.

The Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson is responsible for the exhibition’s production costs and, in partnership with a publisher, for the catalog’s publication costs.

For its inaugural edition, the Martine Franck Curatorial Research Grant will be rewarding a project solely dedicated to the work of Martine Franck.

The first call for applications of the Martine Franck Curatorial Research Grant is open from April 3 to May 31, 2025.

ELIGIBILITY

• The Martine Franck Curatorial Research Grant is open to researchers of any nationality who are enrolled in or have completed a doctoral program, and to curators who are enrolled in or have completed a graduate program.
  
• Candidates must be able to demonstrate research, publication or curatorial experience.
  
• Candidates must be referred by a research or curatorial professional.

COMMITMENTS

• The recipient agrees to exhibit his or her project at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in the fall of 2026, and to carry out the research and curatorial work.
  
• He/she agrees to oversee the completion of the publication.
• He/she agrees to produce texts for the exhibition and the book.

CALENDAR

• April 3 – May 31, 2025: Call for applications
  
• June 2025: Jury selects the finalist
  
• June 30, 2025: Finalist announced
  
• July — December 2025: Research in the Foundation’s archives
  
• January — June 2026: Exhibition preparation
  
• October 2026: Exhibition of the recipient’s project at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson and publication of the accompanying book

SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION

• Applications must be submitted online via the dedicated form. Paper applications will not be accepted.
• Incomplete applications will not be examined. Candidates must ensure that they have included all the required documents in their application: they will not be notified of any missing documents.
• Application documents must be written in French or English. Any other language must be translated.
• Submitting an application implies unreserved agreement to all the conditions outlined in this document.

Applications must include all of the following, in a single PDF file (10 MB maximum):

• A one-page proposal outlining the research and exhibition project (maximum 3,000 signs)
  
• A one-page letter of recommendation (maximum 3,000 signs) signed by a professional researcher or curator
  
• A detailed CV highlighting the candidate’s research and curatorial experience
  
• Proof of affiliation to a degree program or degree in the research or exhibition field
  
• A published sample of a text on photography or a photographer written by the candidate

For any questions concerning the application form or eligibility, please write to the following address: boursefrm@henricartierbresson.org

Download the call for applications in PDF:

FRM Curatorial Research Grant | Call for Applications