In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain unveiled plans for a new landmark building.
Located on the historic Place du Palais-Royal in Paris, this groundbreaking space is set to open its doors to the public by the end of 2025. Following a major architectural gesture on Boulevard Raspail in 1994, this new building conceived by the renowned architect Jean Nouvel marks a new chapter in the history of the Fondation Cartier, which once again positions itself as a significant actor in the ongoing urban and cultural development of the city of Paris, as well as on the global contemporary art scene.
Set within an imposing Haussmannian building, originally constructed as part of Napoleon III’s urban redevelopment initiative – it was first inaugurated as the Grand Hôtel du Louvre in 1855. The site later became the Grands Magasins du Louvre in 1863 and was eventually converted into the Louvre des Antiquaires in 1978. Jean Nouvel’s new building project for the Fondation Cartier sets the architecture in dialogue with the site’s historical urban context. Entirely open to the outside, the facades are composed of large bay windows that open up onto the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Rue de Rivoli and Place du Palais-Royal, offering both visitors and pedestrians fresh perspectives of the city through the building. The new site encompasses a vast 8,500 square meters of public spaces; 6,500 square meters of exhibition space, including five mobile platforms covering 1,200 square meters which can modify the surface area and the navigation of the building. Their positioning enables the creation of layered vertical spaces which can reach up to 11 meters high. The space also features 1,200 square meters of walkways overlooking the volumes created by the platforms. With the transformation of this historical building, Nouvel enables a perpetual renewal of the space, offering unparalleled opportunities for creative freedom and artistic experimentation, in line with the Fondation Cartier’s core mission and dedication to artists.
Main Image: Fondation Cartier from 2025, Place du Palais-Royal, Paris. Interior Architecture by Jean Nouvel. Photo © Luc Boegly courtesy of Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain.
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
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