On October 25, 2025, the new premises of the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art, designed by renowned architect Jean Nouvel, officially opened at 2 Place du Palais Royal in Paris. This latest architecture news marks the rebirth of a historic landmark—originally the Galeries du Louvre department store, built in 1855 for the first Paris World’s Fair. Through innovative renovation, Jean Nouvel has transformed this 19th-century Haussmann-style building into a dynamic and vibrant “artistic power machine.”
The core highlight of the renovation is a system composed of five massive mobile platforms. Each platform covers 250 square meters and weighs 250 tons, equipped with a cable pulley system co-developed with bridge and theater design experts. These platforms can be freely lifted, lowered, and reconfigured, allowing the exhibition space to expand, contract, or even undergo complete morphological transformations. During the restoration, the building’s core structure was preserved, while large transparent spaces were crafted. Coupled with skylight shutters that adjust natural light, the design interweaves light and movement, blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior. A 150-meter-long glass canopy along the Rue Saint-Honoré facade connects Rue de Rivoli and the Palais Royal, forming a covered pedestrian passage that turns the building into a “transparent stage” integrated with the city.
The new venue’s inaugural exhibition, “Exposition Générale” curated by Formafantasma, brings together nearly 600 works by over 100 artists, including masterpieces by renowned creators such as David Lynch, Cai Guoqiang, and Junya Ishigami. Centered around four themes—”Architectural Machines,” “Nature,” “Making Things,” and “The Real World”—the exhibition echoes the site’s historical spirit of exploration. The “Architectural Machines” section transforms the platforms into a “urban laboratory,” showcasing visionary designs and utopian models. The “Nature” section creates a sensory ecosystem, conveying natural imagery through works like feather installations. “Making Things” explores the boundaries between craftsmanship, design, and fine art, while “The Real World” presents the intersection of science, technology, and fiction through immersive works. Drawing inspiration from 19th-century trade fair display systems, Formafantasma’s curatorial design places artworks in an interdisciplinary and cross-era network of exchange, emphasizing the performative dimension of exhibition and viewing.
Notably, multiple renovation projects of Parisian landmark buildings are advancing simultaneously. The Louvre, across the street from the new Cartier Foundation, is set to launch a large-scale renovation, including a new entrance and an exclusive gallery for the Mona Lisa. Five interdisciplinary teams have been shortlisted for the second phase of the relevant international architectural competition. The Pompidou Center has also closed for a five-year renovation, overseen by firms including Moro Kinoshita Architectures. Meanwhile, the Grand Palais, which underwent its most comprehensive renovation in 120 years, reopened earlier—led by architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte’s firm and integrated with textile art installations by Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto. The opening of the new Cartier Foundation, alongside these latest architecture news, collectively injects new vitality into Paris’s cultural landmarks.
