Step Inside Fondation Cartier’s New Jean Nouvel-Designed Location in Paris
The inaugural exhibition, “Exposition Générale,” will showcase over 600 works from Cartier’s storied collection
On October 25, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain will reopen to the public, welcoming visitors into its striking new space at 2 Place du Palais-Royal, designed by Jean Nouvel. The reimagined site—located inside a Haussmannian building which once housed the iconic department store Grands Magasins du Louvre—features vast bay windows that give way to stunning views of the city.
Nouvel, who conjured the foundation’s previous glass-and-steel home on Boulevard Raspail, created a glamorously flexible new center, with public galleries, exhibition spaces, and mobile platform areas. Additionally, the architect—who also orchestrated such stunning cultural landmarks the Louvre Abu Dhabi, National Museum of Qatar, and Museum of Art Pudong as well as stunning buildings like the Rosewood São Paulo—preserved the façade that freely opens to the iconic Parisian thoroughfare.
“In this striking meeting place where past and future converge, the Fondation Cartier actively participates in the life of the city, engaging with contemporary questions of urban planning and ecology,” the museum said in a statement.
To mark the monumental occasion, “Exposition Générale,” an exhibition showcasing over 600 works from Cartier’s storied collection, will remain on view until August 2026. The presentation includes solo exhibitions and thematic ensembles that feature the work of artists who have participated in Fondation Cartier’s programming since 1984.
