DATA SHEET
Client: Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Cartier SA / Richemont
Delegated Project Ownership: VINCI Immobilier
General Contractor and Group Members: PETIT, branch of VINCI Construction Group Representative
Architecture: Ateliers Jean Nouvel
Furnishings and fittings: Jean Nouvel Design
Structural and fluid engineering: SETEC Bâtiment
Scenic engineering: Ducks Scéno
Lighting engineering: L’Observatoire International
Acoustic engineering: AVEL Acoustique
Graphic design and signage: deValence
Environmental consultants: Le Sommer Environnement
Historical Consultant: Grahal (Groupe de recherche Art Histoire Architecture Littérature)
Photos: La Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, 2 place du Palais-Royal, Paris.
© Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Martin Argyroglo; Vue d’exposition, Marc Dommage
The grand project for the new home of the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain proudly asserts a 40-year cultural history. Opening in Paris in October 2025, it bears the signature of one of France’s most influential and authoritative architects: Jean Nouvel. Dedicated to temporary exhibitions, the foundation is located at 2 Place du Palais-Royal, in a large stone arcaded palace opposite the Louvre. This building dates back to the creation of the current Rue de Rivoli, during the initial phase of the radical urban transformations brought to the French capital by Baron Haussmann.
The monumental five-story building was constructed between 1854 and 1855 by architects Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine to house the Grand Hôtel du Louvre and the Grands Magasins du Louvre, which remained there for almost a century, carving out a fundamental role in the cultural and social life of the city center. «We must capture the sense of space from above, from below, and through cross-ventilation: in short, we must expand it», the architect declared in 2013 upon receiving the commission.
This gave rise to the design concept and the realization challenge of a large internal “machine,” composed of expansive platforms capable of rising and descending beneath the mezzanine’s glass panels, serving an innovative, modern, and flexible museum experience. At the heart of the museum are five modular platforms, which can reach a height of 11 meters and range in surface area from 200 to 340 square meters.
The building thus takes shape as a complex scenographic system, which, thanks to the combination of volumes and variations in light, manages to meet the diverse exhibition needs of current artistic languages within its 6500 square meters of exhibition space. A symbolic building, the new headquarters also articulates the objectives and vision of Alain Dominique Perrin, then president of Cartier, who founded the institution in 1984, centering it on criteria of internationality and multidisciplinarity. These are essential for understanding an increasingly branched and complex reality that encompasses visual arts, photography, cinema, craftsmanship, performance, live shows, and even science.
In terms of materials, the raw monumentality of exposed reinforced concrete is juxtaposed with extensive use of metal, defining an architectural landscape made iridescent by infinite spatial arrangement possibilities. «The Fondation Cartier will probably be the institution offering the greatest diversity of spaces, the most exhibition modes, and the widest range of perspectives», states Nouvel, who also designed the foundation’s previous headquarters.
«Depending on the chosen configuration, these spaces with variable geometries will be invented and discovered as projects develop». Accessible from all four corners, the new foundation offers the public 8,500 square meters distributed across the basement, ground floor, and first floor, opening generously to the city through expansive glass facades.
In addition to the exhibition areas, public amenities include La Manifattura, a 300 m² educational space dedicated to cultural mediation, artistic practices, and the promotion of artisanal knowledge; the Marie-Claude Beaud Studio, dedicated to performing arts; a library; a restaurant; and a “creative bar.” The inaugural exhibition, curated by Milan-based Formafantasma and running until August 2026, is titled ‘Esposizione Generale‘ (General Exhibition) and chronicles 40 years of contemporary art championed by the influential foundation. The title subtly nods to the first Universal Exhibition in 1855, which spurred the redevelopment of Rue de Rivoli and the construction of the building itself.
