Jean Nouvel's Glass Box Floating in a Paris Garden

At a Glance

Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain was founded in 1984 by the Cartier maison and is France's first major corporate art foundation. Its current Boulevard Raspail home opened in 1994; in 2025 the foundation moves to a new flagship beside the Louvre at Place du Palais-Royal, ending the Raspail era.

Jean Nouvel's Garden Building

Architect Jean Nouvel's 1994 design lets the garden swallow the architecture—double glass walls reflect the trees so the building's edge dissolves. A Lebanon cedar grows between the two glass skins. Two ground-floor and basement galleries with 6-metre ceilings host six to seven exhibitions a year.

Programme

• Whole-building solo shows: Patti Smith, Sebastião Salgado, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Ron Mueck, Sarah Sze.
• "Nuits de l'Incertitude," a monthly cross-disciplinary night.
• About 1,500 permanent works rotate.
• 4,000 m² garden with outdoor pieces, free to walk.
• Opening in 2025 at Place du Palais-Royal (Nouvel renovation of Louvre des Antiquaires).

Tips

Five minutes from Raspail or Denfert-Rochereau. €11 (€7 under 25). Plan 1–1.5 hours. Combine with Montparnasse cemetery and tower for a left-bank afternoon. Closed Mondays. Check the move date before traveling.