The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel

Since its creation in 1984, the Fondation Cartier has placed architecture at the heart of its programming positing it as an enabler of interdisciplinary dialogue. Its historic building designed by Jean Nouvel and inaugurated in 1994 on Boulevard Raspail, Paris, broke all conventions of exhibition making by its apparent immateriality as a glass and steel structure Thirty years later, the Fondation Cartier commissioned to Jean Nouvel the transformation of a mid-19th century Haussmannian building, set to open late 2025 at 2 Place du Palais-Royal, Paris, next to the Louvre.

Set against the Venetian cityscape, the exhibition highlights Nouvel’s contextualist approach, juxtaposing the historic and modern. A large-scale sectional model reveals the adaptable design, featuring five adjustable platforms that create fluid, multi-dimensional spaces. Projections, 1:1 scale photographs, plans, and prototypes illustrate innovative elements like retractable ceilings and mechanical guardrails that shape light, perspective, and spatial experience. The exhibition also features a glass engraving of the Fondation Cartier’s current building and a video of Nouvel’s museographic projects.