From May 10 to September 14, 2025, the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain presents at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, the innovative design concepts imagined by Jean Nouvel for its future spaces in the exhibition The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel.
Since its creation in 1984, the Fondation Cartier has placed architecture at the heart of its programming positing it as an enabler of interdisciplinary dialogue. Its historic building designed by Jean Nouvel and inaugurated in 1994 on Boulevard Raspail, Paris, broke all conventions of exhibition making by its apparent immateriality as a glass and steel structure.
Thirty years later, the Fondation Cartier commissioned to Jean Nouvel the transformation of a mid-19th century Haussmannian building, set to open late 2025 at 2 Place du Palais-Royal, Paris, next to the Louvre. Pushing the boundaries of architectural design, it embodies the Fondation’s mission to engage all forms of contemporary creation.
In the exhibition presented at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, visitors encounter the premises of the new architecture of the Fondation Cartier. A large-scale sectional model of the new spaces reveals the potential of an architecture that is a dynamic exhibition-making tool. Five platforms which can be adjusted to different heights offer the possibility of creating multiple combinations of volumes, voids and spaces, altogether creating unprecedent imaginative potential for multidisciplinary programming.
The sensations and experience of the architectural landscape of the Fondation Cartier’s new address are evoked within the exhibition space through a display including projections, 1:1 scale photographs, plans and prototypes. The scenography demonstrates in particular the effects of the retractable ceilings that temper natural light, as well as those of the mechanical guard rails which add or subtract possible perspectives on the immediate urban surroundings.
| Hours | 4:00 AM – 4:00 AM |
| Venue | Fondazione Giorgio Cini |
| Type | Exhibition |
| Duration | 127 Days |
| City | Venice |
About
Fondation Cartier
In 1984, at the suggestion of the artist César, Alain Dominique Perrin, President of Cartier International at the time, established the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain. At once a creative space for artists and a place for the general public to encounter art, the Fondation Cartier is dedicated to promoting and raising public awareness of contemporary art. The Fondation Cartier, headed by Marie-Claude Beaud, opened in Jouy-en-Josas on October 20, 1984, with the inaugural exhibition Les Fers de César. The Fondation Cartier seeks to present the work of renowned French and international artists, as well as young artists with promising talents. Cartier International has become the leading private French company in the patronage of contemporary art, responsible and civic-minded – a unique example of corporate philanthropy in France. In 1994, the Fondation Cartier moved to its new site in Paris, a building designed by the architect Jean Nouvel on the Boulevard Raspail. Dedicated to contemporary artists and creators, the space gives free reign to their imagination and creativity in making and exhibiting their works. The versatile glass building toys with transparency, reflecting the Fondation’s philosophy of modernity and openness to the world. In this unique setting, exhibitions, conferences and artistic productions come to life. The Fondation Cartier has thus established itself as a vital contemporary art institution extending an invitation to (re) discover artists in unexpected places. In keeping with our era, the Fondation Cartier explores every field of creation: visual arts, science, architecture, design, fashion and film. In doing so, it asserts its expertise and commitment, combining rigor and eclecticism in seeking to make contemporary art accessible to all. Every year, the Fondation Cartier concocts a program of thematic and solo exhibitions, and commissions artists for works, continually enriching its significant collection. Now comprising nearly 4000 works springing from its rich, multidisciplinary program, this collection attests to relationships that have been nurtured with over 500 artists from around the world.
