The Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain (), known simply as the Fondation Cartier, is a contemporary art museum at 2 place du Palais-Royal in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. It was located at 261 Boulevard Raspail in the 14th arrondissement of Paris until 2025, when it relocated to the Palais-Royal area, reopening to the public on 25 October 2025.

History The Fondation Cartier was created in 1984 by the Cartier SA firm as a center for contemporary art that presents exhibits by established artists, offers young artists a chance to debut, and incorporates works into its collection. The founding director was Marie-Claude Beaud.

In 1994, it moved to a glass building at 261 Boulevard Raspail designed by Pritzker Prize architect Jean Nouvel on the site of the former American Center for Students and Artists, surrounded by a modern woodland garden landscaped by Lothar Baumgarten. The ground floor of the building is high and glassed in on all sides.

In 2011, the president and founder of the Fondation Cartier, Alain Dominique Perrin, asked Nouvel to draw up preliminary plans for a new base on Île Seguin. By 2014, the foundation abandoned plans to relocate to the island and instead commissioned Nouvel to work on the expansion of the Boulevard Raspail premises. By 2024, Fondation Cartier presented Nouvel's designs for a new site opposite the Louvre, occupying more than on the ground floor and lower levels of a listed building.Gareth Harris (17 September 2024), Fondation Cartier reveals plans for new Paris space designed by Jean Nouvel The Art Newspaper.Lily Templeton (18 October 2024), Fondation Cartier Teases New Paris Building for 40th Anniversary Women's Wear Daily.

Collection

The museum displays exhibits of contemporary and international artists, and currently contains over 1500 works by more than 350 artists. Its collections include monumental works such as The Monument to Language by James Lee Byars, Caterpillar by Wim Delvoye, Backyard by Liza Lou, La Volière (The Aviary) by Jean-Pierre Raynaud, and Everything that Rises Must Converge by Sarah Sze; works by contemporary French artists including Vincent Beaurin, Gérard Garouste, Raymond Hains, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Alain Séchas, Pierrick Sorin, Jean Giraud; and works by foreign artists including James Coleman (Ireland), Thomas Demand (Germany), Alair Gomes (Brazil), William Kentridge (South Africa), Bodys Isek Kingelez (the Congo), Guillermo Kuitca (Argentina), Yukio Nakagawa (Japan), Huang Yong Ping (China), and Damian Pettigrew (Canada).

Exhibitions The museum opens daily except Monday, with an admission fee. Nearby Paris Métro stations include Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre and Pyramides on Line 1 and Line 7.

1986 : Les Années 1960, la décade triomphante 1987 : Hommage à Ferrari 1988 : MDF des créateurs pour un matériau 1988 : Vraiment faux 1991 : La Vitesse 1992 : À visage découvert – Machines d'architecture 1993 : Azur 1994 : Nobuyoshi Araki – Jean-Michel Alberola 1995 : Vija Celmins – Thierry Kuntzel – James Lee Byars – Bodys Isek Kingelez – Défilés et Vestiaires de Macha Makeieff et Jérôme Deschamps – Malick Sidibé – 1996 : Double vie, Double vue – Comme un oiseau – Tatsuo Miyajima – Marc Couturier – By Night 1997 : Amours – Coïncidences – Alain Séchas – Patrick Vilaire 1997 : Histoire de voir – la collection de la Fondation Cartier dans l'art contemporain dans les chateaux du Bordelais – Marina Faust – Seydou Keita – Gabriel Orozco – Jean-Michel Othoniel 1998 : Issey Miyake – Être nature – Francesca Woodman – Panamarenko – Gérard Deschamps 1999 : Sarah Sze – Herb Ritts – 1 monde réel – Radi Designers – Gottfried Honneger 2000 : Bernard Piffaretti – Thomas Demand – Le Désert – Okhai Ojeikere – Guillermo Kuitca – Cai Guo-Qiang 2001 : Gérard Garouste – William Eggleston – Un art populaire – Pierrick Sorin – Alair Gomes 2002 : Ce qui arrive – Takashi Murakami – Fragilisme 2003 : Daido Moriyama – Jean-Michel Othoniel – les Yanomami – 2004 : Hiroshi Sugimoto – Raymond Depardon – Pain couture par Jean-Paul Gaultier – Chéri Samba – Marc Newson 2005 : Juergen Teller – Ron Mueck – John Maeda – J'en rêve – Adriana Varejão – Rinko Kawauchi 2006 : Tabaimo – Gary Hill – Agnès Varda – Tadanori Yokoo 2007 : Lee Bul – Robert Adams – Rock'n'roll 39–59 – David Lynch 2008 : Patti Smith – Andrea Branzi – César – Terre Natale, Ailleurs commence ici (Raymond Depardon / Paul Virilio) 2009 : Beatriz Milhazes – William Eggleston – Né dans la rue 2010 : Jean Giraud – Moebius-Transe-Forme – Metamoebius by Damian Pettigrew 2011 : Les Trésors du Vaudou – Mathématiques, un dépaysement soudain 2012 : Histoires de voir, Show and Tell – Yue Minjun : L'Ombre du sourire 2013 : Ron Mueck – America Latina 1960 2014 : Mémoires Vives, Vivid Memories – Diller & Scofidio + Renfro Musings on a Glass Box – Guillermo Kuitca Les Habitants 2015 : Bruce Nauman – Beauté Congo 1926–2015 Congo Kitoko 2021–2022: Damien Hirst – Cherry Blossoms

See also List of museums in Paris World Architecture Survey

Sources Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain Paris.fr entry Paris, Petit Futé, 2007, page 129. .

References

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