Glass walls, trees, and provocative art: a visit to the Fondation Cartier in Paris is not a typical day at an art museum. Since its inception, the organization has been dedicated to collecting and showing some of the most exciting contemporary art in the world.
Architect Jean Nouvel
Not unlike the Centre Pompidou, however, the building that houses the work is an integral part of the visit. This is especially true in the case of the Fondation Cartier, whose site was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. Art exhibits here truly unite with their surroundings in a unique way. Other buildings Jean Nouvel has designed include the Musée du Monde Arabe and the Musée du Quai Branly, for which he was just awarded the 2008 Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Boulevard Raspail
Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain started its mission in 1984. Back then, it was located in Jouy-en-Josas, a wealthy suburb of Paris near Versailles. In 1994, the Fondation Cartier moved to its present-day space, designed by Jean Nouvel and located on the tony boulevard Raspail, a short walk from the Luxembourg Gardens. The Fondation Cartier is committed to the long-term patronage of international artistic creation. Furthermore, it is interested in commissions. Art interacts with its environs here in part because of this. The Fondation Cartier's avant-garde home, which melts away and joins the little urban forest around it, also allows work to interact with the outside environs.
Cartier and Fondation Cartier
Yes, the foundation receives its funding from that Cartier, a name always in italics and associated with pricey jewelry. But Alain Dominique Perrin, the founder and president, says that's as far as the connection goes. It is not a means to sell watches, but rather a contemporary arts organization that is sincerely committed to creative freedom and integrity.
International Contemporary Artists
Artists who have shown here include Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki, known for intimate photographs of women in subjugated positions; Chéri Samba, whose bright acrylics depict disturbing, surrealist scenes of life in Africa; Nouveau Réaliste collage artist Raymond Hains; and Sarah Sze, famous for installations of everyday minutiae. The work by these and other artists who have shown at the Fondation comes to life and sings in the glass-walled space, connecting with the trees and greenery outside.
Paris Art Museums
Opportunities to see art in Paris abound. Jeu de Paume offers a wide variety of art exhibits of twentieth and twenty-first century work in a unique space. École des Beaux-Arts also has eclectic shows in its gallery space. On rue Louise Weiss there are numerous contemporary art galleries. The Fondation Cartier, however, is an elegant commitment to an ongoing dialogue between art and architecture and their environs.
For more information here is the link to their Web site: Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain.
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