Since the Fondation Cartier first commissioned architect Jean Nouvel to design its Paris headquarters on Boulevard Raspail, architecture has played a central role in its programming. Acting as a catalyst for interdisciplinary dialogue, Nouvel’s manifesto building has provided a space for experimentation of contemporary artistic languages, which through its emblematic exhibition spaces, characterized by a palisade of transparent glass and steel, have established a unique connection with Lothar Baumgarten’s garden.

Thirty years later, the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain has once commissioned Domus Guest Editor 2022 the realization of a second space, this time adjacent to the Louvre. The new project will transform a 19th-century Haussmannian building at 2 Place du Palais-Royal, and its design will be displayed in the exhibition "The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain" by Jean Nouvel at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice.

The show will focus on the design principles guiding the conception of the new premises: dynamism, modularity, and mobility of the exhibition spaces, all specifically designed to support the Fondation’s multidisciplinary artistic program. This architectural vision will be conveyed through a scenographic display featuring projections, 1:1 scale photographs, plans, prototypes, and a sectional model of the five height-adjustable platforms. These platforms will allow for free configurations of volumes, voids and spaces, transforming the historic building into a flexible exhibition-making device that encompasses a full spectrum of creative propositions.

Nouvel’s ambition to create complex cultural environments – permeable and responsive to their surrounding context – is also reflected in the retractable ceilings and mechanical guardrails, which will modulate natural light and frame views of the urban landscape. In Venice, this specific visual connection with the historic heart of Paris will be echoed through the windows of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, which overlook the Grand Canal and the Abbey of San Giorgio Maggiore.

Alongside "The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel", the Venetian institution will also host a public program exploring the concept of the “Museum as a site of architectural experimentation”, where Jean Nouvel will be joined by architects and art historians, including Andrés Jaque, Lina Ghotmeh, Manuel Segade, Cecilia Puga, and Antoine Picon. 

Opening image: Building site view of the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain’s future premises, place du Palais-Royal, Paris. Rendering of platform 1 looking onto the Rue de Rivoli. © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2024