Buying a work of art for your company is not only an aesthetic choice. In France, it is also one of the few cultural investments encouraged by law. There are two routes: purchase, with a specific tax deduction, and leasing, often simpler for smaller structures.
The tax deduction for buying works by living artists
Article 238 bis AB of the French General Tax Code allows companies subject to corporation tax, or to income tax in the industrial and commercial profits (BIC) category, to deduct from their taxable result the purchase price of original works by living artists. The scheme, which was due to expire at the end of 2025, has been extended by the 2026 Finance Act until 31 December 2028.
How it works: the deduction is spread in equal instalments over five years (the year of purchase and the four following years), up to €20,000 or 0.5% of turnover if that figure is higher, a ceiling shared with other sponsorship expenses. In return, the work must be recorded as a fixed asset, displayed for those five years in a place accessible to the public or to employees (lobby, meeting room, open-plan offices), and an amount equal to the deduction must be booked to a special reserve account on the liabilities side of the balance sheet.
These are general rules: your accountant will confirm how they apply to your situation.
Art leasing, for every kind of structure
Professional practices and companies that do not wish to capitalise a work have another option: leasing with a purchase option. The rent is booked as an operating expense over the term of the contract, the work is installed as soon as the contract is signed, and it can be bought at the end for its residual value. The gallery handles the whole process and puts several financial partners in competition to obtain the best terms: see our art leasing page (available in France, Belgium and Luxembourg).
Beyond taxation
A work of art in a workplace changes the way people enter it. It says something about the company to its clients and its teams, it starts conversations, and it directly supports a living artist. It is also an object that lasts: a carefully chosen work keeps its place long after the software and the furniture have been replaced three times.
How to proceed
Galerie Diego Escobar represents around a dozen contemporary artists in Marseille — painters, sculptors and a designer — whose works are all eligible for the scheme. We visit the space, propose a suitable selection and prepare the purchase or leasing file with you. Contact us to talk about it.