The future premises of the European Central Bank.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has launched a competition to design site-specific works of art for its new premises in Frankfurt.

The winning artworks should interpret the concepts of stability and independence, also taking into account the EU’s guiding principle of “united in diversity”.

The competition will comprise two stages. During the first stage, a selection committee of internationally renowned art experts will draw up, for each location, a list of artists from all EU member states who fulfill selection criteria laid down in the competition rules.

The competition has been organised to ensure that at least one artist from each country takes part in the first stage. From these lists, a jury made up of internationally renowned art experts and representatives of the European System of Central Banks, as well as a representative from the architects’ office that designed the new premises, will draw up a shortlist of artists to be invited to take part in the second stage. These artists will be asked to develop a design for a work of art to be installed at one of the three locations.

Each artist who participates in the second stage and submits a valid proposal will receive a sum of €5,000 to cover costs incurred.

On the basis of the jury’s recommendations, the ECB will award one contract per location to the artist who has submitted the best design.

The results of the competition are expected to be announced in autumn 2014 and will be published on the ECB’s website.