Agency

l'art en plus is a consulting agency advising on communication and production of cultural content.
It assists patrons, philanthropists and other private actors involved in society and creation. The agency develops visibility and influence, designs and manages artistic projects, and mobilizes talent and resources for creatives.

Image and visibility +

Global Communication

We manage global communication for projects driven by private actors at an international level.

Thanks to a synergy of events, press campaigns, networking and social media, we build positive visibility and reputation. The agency acts as a consulting and communication platform, offering evaluations and benchmarks, brand strategies and engagement, activations, storytelling/experiences, partnerships, internal communication and mobilization.

Media Relations

We tailor each campaign with the goal of reaching a global scope and generating qualitative results. Campaigns encompass editorial contents, communication tools, media activations, media plans and partnerships. International media relations are administered from our Paris office, in order to closely track the impact of the message and reach international audience.

Mobilization and influence +

Social Media and e-Influence

We moderate our clients’ image on social networks and shape their digital communication in accordance with their ambitions. This encompasses supervising social media strategy, producing multimedia contents, editorial scheduling, community management, targeted advertising and mobilization of e-influencers. We organize pertinent and impactful messages to fluidly connect our clients with their audiences and their targets for the long term.

Public Relations and Networks

We facilitate meaningful encounters to establishing long-term projects and collaborations. For each project, we rally decision-makers, creative talents and influential figures from the worlds of culture, design/lifestyle, craftsmanship, luxury and economics, thus boosting positive ambassadorship.

Production and events +

Production

We dream up and supervise artistic projects in their entirety (concept, sourcing, artistic direction, partnerships, communication) by drawing from a pool of expert resources: exhibition curators, artistic directors, scenographers, artists, designers, editors, graphic designers, and audiovisual producers, amongst others.

Events

We organize creative, intimate and large-scale, events for our clients, identify the best service providers and coordinate with them. We also design content, experiences and artistic performances). The spectrum of organized events includes award ceremonies, public exhibition openings, private exhibition views, launches, soirées, dinners, conferences and talks.

clients

Approach

Founded in 2009 by Virginie Burnet and Olivia de Smedt and based in Paris, l’art en plus advises and assists both companies and individual patrons who wish to develop creative endeavors and philanthropic involvement. These meaningful actions help create a distinctive identity within a competitive landscape and communicate a commitment to creativity.

We work on projects that are challenging, unique and embodied. Our client relationships are characterized by personal, direct and involved exchanges, in order to best utilize our expertise, high standards and creativity.

Shaped by professional experiences with brands and within the cultural ecosystem – compounded by an active network of professionals and tastemakers – we have sharpened our expertise around project development and influence. Mixing proactivity and talents, we heighten our clients’ image, sphere of influence and overall reputation.

Partners

Virginie Burnet

President, Founder

Virginie Burnet founded l’art en plus in 2009, combining her long-standing commitment to patronage and philanthropy with her passion for art and culture. After graduating from Sciences Po Paris where she studied law and art history, Virginie Burnet spent over 15 years as the Head of Communication and Media Relations at Hôtel Drouot, a key hub of the art market. There, she managed both the institutional communication of Parisian auctioneers in the midst of the reform of their profession and the international press campaigns for major auctions. She also launched the first exhibitions curated by “personalities” from the art world, from gallerist Pearl Lam to collector Guillaume Houzé, and organized numerous public relations and charity events. In 2008, she decided to leave the art market to devote herself to patronage and philanthropy and created l’art en plus in 2009. Virginie accompanies several leading projects in corporate sponsorship and philanthropy by promoting their commitments, a field she is particularly passionate about. As a communications and media professional, she has a solid expertise and network that she provides to the agency's clients and their projects.

Olivia de Smedt

Associate Director

Olivia de Smedt joined l’art en plus as Associate Director in 2013 to combine her expertise in artistic production and communication. Olivia de Smedt studied Art history, English, cultural management and communication, which led her to work in artistic production and communication. Over several years, she coordinateds curatorial projects in France and abroad, a collaborative endeavor with curators Gaël Charbau and Benjamin Loyauté. These projects brought her to Beijing - namely coordinating the largest exhibition within the first Beijing International Design Triennal at the National Museum of China - and to Seoul, where she showcased the emerging French scene at the SongEun Art Space with the Institut Français. In France, she was involved in the Biennale Internationale de Design in Saint-Etienne and helped showcase residents of the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. In parallel, Olivia trained in communication and media relations, particularly in the fields of design and lifestyle. She masters the production process as well as the development of strategies and communication for large-scale events. She accompanies corporate sponsorship projects and brands that wish to make a lasting commitment to culture and art. Her wide network includes numerous tastemakers within the art and design world. She is also an associate of the publishing house JBE Books.

Team

Amandine Legrand

Project manager and communications officer

Having graduated from ISC Paris with a specialization in management for creative and cultural industries, and from the Sorbonne with a focus in art history, Amandine Legrand has since been steeped in the world off philanthropy. She confirmed her passion for contemporary creation working at the Amis du Palais de Tokyo. For four years, she orchestrated events for the ADIAF (Association pour la Diffusion Internationale de l’Art) alongside its President (this included organizing events related to the prestigious Prix Marcel Duchamp.). At the agency, Amandine coordinates corporate and digital communication strategy, as well as media relations in France and internationally, for multiple projects. She also puts her active network of cultural tastemakers at the service of clients.

Marion Gardair

Project manager and communications officer

Marion Gardair holds a joint degree in Communication and Language Sciences from the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris and the University of Ottawa, Canada. During her time working in Parisian PR agencies, Marion led a number of projects in the cultural, design and lifestyle fields. As an institutional communication specialist, she worked alongside cultural events, brands, creative studios and independent publishing houses to develop their visibility on French and international markets. At l’art en plus, Marion coordinates the strategies, both corporate and digital, of several clients. She puts her active network of journalists and influencers of the arts and cultural industries at the service of her clients’.

Juliette Delpech

Project manager and communications officer

Juliette Delpech holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Communication and a Master’s degree in Humanities, Management and Intercultural Marketing. She studied the art of communication, its practices, issues and theories, with a particular interest in Sociology, Art History, Media and Creative Industries.
For more than four years, she held the position of press officer in one of the most prestigious fashion and lifestyle press office in Paris, representing and supporting the development of renowned brands as well as young designers, on the French and international markets. She also managed the organisation and promotion of numerous events such as fashion shows, parties, cocktails, presentations…
At l’art en plus, Juliette develops her skills acquired in the fashion world to design relevant messages and communication tools for her clients and to orchestrate their press and public relations campaigns.

Marine Brancq

Project and Communication Manager

Art and fashion form the backbone of Marine Brancq’s career path. She graduated from a BA degree in Fashion Marketing & Communications before joining l’art en plus in parallel with a master’s degree at the EAC in Art Market Management. Trilingual in French/English/Spanish, Marine has lived in Barcelona and Munich. Her professional experiences working with luxury and design brands and in galleries have allowed her to consolidate her skills in the field of marketing and communications but also to refine her sensibility for visual arts.

Iris Couffignal

Assistant Digital Communications and Media

After studying Modern Literature and Intercultural Mediation, Iris Couffignal joined the Lyon campus of ICART and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Cultural Engineering and Management. Strong of her associative experiences in the field of culture and willing to discover specifically the world of art patronage, she joined l’art en plus to assist the team with communications and production.