A New Chapter in Montparnasse The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain (Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art) is making a major move, leaving its longtime home in Montparnasse for a new location at the prestigious Place du Palais-Royal in Paris. The foundation officially reopens its doors this Saturday, October 25, 2025. It now occupies an imposing Haussmann-era building, marking a significant departure from the modern glass structure at 261, boulevard Raspail, which it has now left behind.
Jean Nouvel Bridges Past and Present Despite the new building’s classic 19th-century facade, the interior has been completely reimagined by architect Jean Nouvel. Nouvel provides a unique link between the foundation’s past and present, as he also designed the now-former Montparnasse building. The new site at 2, place du Palais-Royal has a storied history; starting in 1855, it housed the Grand Hôtel, followed by the Grands Magasins du Louvre, and most recently, the Louvre des antiquaires (Antique Dealers’ Louvre) until 2019.
A “Great Interior Machine” Nouvel, renowned for the Musée du quai Branly and the Arab World Institute, completely renovated the basement, ground floor, and first floor. His stated approach was “to remove everything possible, apart from the essential load-bearing structures.” Of the 8,500 square meters accessible to the public, 6,500 are dedicated to the pioneering private foundation’s collection. The exhibition space is notably spread across five mobile platforms, operated by a system of pulleys and cables, creating what is described as a “great interior machine.” Through large bay windows, visitors can look out over the Place de Palais-Royal and the Rue de Rivoli, which runs alongside the nearby Louvre—a site notably subdued following a heist last Sunday.
Inaugural Exhibition Celebrates 40 Years The new venue also includes three glass roofs, an auditorium, an educational space, a bookstore, and a small café. A restaurant and a “creative bar” are scheduled to be added in the spring. The inaugural show, titled “General Exhibition,” opens this weekend. Entry is free but is already fully booked. It traces 40 years of international contemporary creation through works that have defined the Fondation Cartier’s programming since its 1984 inception. The exhibition offers a chance to see 600 creations by 100 artists, including Ron Mueck, Annette Messager, Christian Boltanski, David Lynch, Fabrice Hyber, Joan Mitchell, Malick Sidibé, Mœbius, Damien Hirst, and Giuseppe Penone.
Paris Celebrates Art Deco Centennial While the Fondation Cartier focuses on the contemporary, another pivotal movement in Paris’s artistic history is also taking center stage. The Art Deco style is celebrating its 100th anniversary, prompting the Cité de l’architecture (City of Architecture) in Paris to revive the landmark 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. This historic event popularized the artistic trend that flourished during the “Roaring Twenties” and was exported worldwide.
The 1925 Exhibition: A Global “Fireworks” Moment The new show, “Paris 1925, Art Deco and its Architects,” offers visitors an immersion into the original 1925 exhibition, which left a lasting mark on architecture and decorative arts in France and globally with its bold pavilions. Bénédicte Mayer, curator of the exhibit, explained its significance: “It was truly the exhibition that established Art Deco in France. A real fireworks display, it showcased the entire production of the period and allowed this major interwar movement to be spread throughout the world, reinterpreted with the codes of each country.” Mayer notes this is how American, South American, Brazilian, and Japanese Art Deco styles were born.
A Modern Master of the Style In connection with the centennial, another exhibition at the Musée des arts décoratifs (Museum of Decorative Arts), “1925-2025. One Hundred Years of Art Deco,” features a special contribution. Famed French interior designer Jacques Grange, who just released a third book on his work (“Jacques Grange. Nouveaux projets”), was given free rein for a part of the exhibition, which runs until April 26, 2026. The show’s catalog describes him as a “link between the contemporaries of Art Deco and its later enthusiasts” and pays homage to his ability to “give new life to forgotten decors.”
Grange’s Enduring Influence Known as the decorator to the stars—with clients including Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, Paloma Picasso, and Francis Ford Coppola—Grange continues to apply his flawless eye at age 81. He remains active, currently overseeing projects for a hotel in Palma, Spain, a house in Athens, and a historic château in the Loire Valley.