40th Anniversary of the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art in Paris, reborn by architect Jean Nouvel

Cultural marketing for a fashion luxury brand that kills two birds with one stone

French fashion luxury brands are contributing greatly to the restoration of French cultural properties and the arts through financial sponsorship and sponsorship.

Dior has been contributing greatly to the restoration project of the Palace of Versailles for decades, and Chanel sponsored the large-scale restoration work of the Grand Palais, where Art Basel was held, and also presented the Chanel SS25 collection at the Grand Palais during Paris Fashion Week last September.

In addition, with the opening of the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris in 2014, a new art space was created, and François Pinault, founder of Kering, a group that owns the Paris Printin Department Store and luxury brands such as Gucci and Balenciaga, ) opened the Pinot Collection Museum in the old Bourse de commerce building in 2021 and is planning interesting exhibitions based on his collection.

Alain Dominique Perrin, former chairman of Cartier International, established the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art in October 1984 at the suggestion of artist César in Jouy en Josas, a small town located near Paris. It introduced the works of famous French and foreign artists as well as promising young artists, and later became the first French private company to be recognized as a patron of modern art.

The third address of the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art

The Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. To commemorate this, they announced plans to move to a new space in 2025. This project was once again undertaken by French architect Jean Nouvel. The museum, currently located in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, will close on March 17, 2025 after the ongoing exhibition of textile artist Olga de Amaral.

Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art, which will be newly established at the Place du Palais-Royal in Paris from 2025 / Photo. © Luc Boegly

[왼쪽부터] Chris Dercon (Managing Director), Jean Nouvel (Architect) / Alain Dominique Perrin (President and Founder of the ‘Place du Palais-Royal’ building), 2024. Construction site of the future building of the ‘Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain’. / picture. © Thibaut Voisin

Olga de Amaral exhibition, Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art, 14th arrondissement, Paris, 2024 / Photo. © Olga de Amaral, Courtesy Lisson Gallery The Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art moved from Jouis en Jojas in 1994 to a new glass and steel building designed by Jean Nouvel in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. Over the past 10 years, the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art was created as a creative space for artists and a place where art and the general public meet, and has played a pioneering role in art sponsorship.

Outside the current Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art, located in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. © Jean Nouvel, Emmanuel Cattani & Associes / Photo .©Luc Boegly The collection carefully selected by the curators of the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art amounts to approximately 4,000 works by over 500 artists from around the world that the foundation has supported over the past 40 years.

The chair of Alessandro Mendini, the godfather of Italian design, who decorated the Baroque-style Proust armchair with colorful patterns, the works of American film director David Lynch, and France, famous for documentary films such as Modern Life France (2008) and Diary (2012). The collection list is very diverse and rich, including a photo series by Magnum photographer Raymond Depardon and a short film featuring Panmungak by Korean directors Park Chan-woo and Park Chan-kyung, brothers. <프루스트 의자(Fauteuil de Proust)>2002. ©Alessandro Mendini / photo. ©Patrick Gries”/>

By Alessandro Mendini, 2002. ©Alessandro Mendini / Photo. ©Patrick Gries <무제>2006-07. Installation art (marker, pencil and pen work on paper). ©David Lynch, 2006- 2007 / Photo. ©Fabrizio Marchesi”/>

Works of David Lynch, 2006-07. Installation art (marker, pencil and pen work on paper). ©David Lynch, 2006- 2007 / Photo. ©Fabrizio Marchesi <부에노스아이레스, 두바이, 요하네스버그, 뉴욕, 파리>2005. ©Raymond Depardon / Photo. ©Magnum”/>

Works of Raymond Depardon, 2005. ©Raymond Depardon / Photo. ©Magnum <격세지감(Decades Apart)>2017. / 3D short film / photography. © Lumento”/>

PARKing CHANce (Park Chan-wook, Park Chan-kyung), 2017. / 3D short film / photo. © Lumento The new address of the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art, scheduled to open at the end of 2025, is opposite the Louvre, a 5-minute walk from the Pinault Collection and a 1-minute walk from the French Office for Culture and the Arts.

This building was established in 1852 as the Grand Hôtel du Louvre, and the Louvre Department Store was opened on the first floor of the hotel to welcome visitors to the 1855 Paris World’s Fair. Afterwards, the department store became so successful that the entire building was transformed into a department store in 1877. It operated as a department store until 1977, and then changed to the Louvre Antique Store.

Louvre Department Store, Grands Magasins du Louvre / Photo. ©Justelipse With a construction cost of 230 million euros, construction will begin in 2019 and is scheduled to be completed in 2025. Jean Nouvel announced that the exterior of the building will be restored to the Haussmann style of 1852, and only the interior of the exhibition hall will show groundbreaking changes.

The newly opened Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art will have 6,500 m2 of the 8,500 m2 used as exhibition space, a 300 m2 educational space, a 120-seat auditorium, a bookstore, and a restaurant. Inside the new museum, various combinations of exhibition configurations are possible, including a vertical open space up to 11 meters high and five movable platforms (1500m2), providing artists with a fluid creative exhibition environment.

Jean Nouvel said that the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art is a new legacy for Paris. The first exhibition to commemorate the opening at the end of 2025 will feature approximately 600-1,000 pieces selected from the foundation’s collection of 4,000 pieces. This space will become the new home of the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art, which has had a significant impact on the contemporary art world for 40 years.

(Top) ‘Chantier Palais Royal’ interior construction site, 2023 / Photo. ©Martin Argyroglo, (bottom) 3D interior on the Rue de Rivoli street side, 2024 ©Jean Nouvel / photo. ©ADAGP PARIS Paris=Jeong Yuna Fashion & Lifestyle Consultant