Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain

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The Fondation Cartier was established in 1984 to nurture contemporary talent and promote art in the French capital. It was the first major institution to exhibit photographs and drawings by the film director David Lynch, once staged an exhibition by the fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier comprised almost entirely of bread, and commissioned William Eggleston, the father of color photography, to undertake special projects. In 2022, Chris Dercon became its managing director, following roles in charge of major museums including the Haus der Kunst, the Grand Palais and Tate Modern. He has spearheaded Fondation Cartier’s move from a steel-and-glass landmark in Montparnasse designed by Jean Nouvel, to the former Louvre des Antiquaires building, also renovated by Nouvel, which opened in 2025.

The fondation — France’s first art center to be financed by a private corporation — is known for giving early support to artists that have since become widely acclaimed, from a 1999 residency for the U.S. installation artist Sarah Sze to the first exhibitions in France for Malian photographers Seydou Keïta and Malick Sidibé. Its growing collection, alongside regular exhibitions and events, span art, architecture, design, fashion, film and science.

^{The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, 2 Place du Palais-Royal, Paris. © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025, photos © Martin Argyroglo}