Paris, France —
After a years-long renovation project, the Fondation Cartier art museum will open its doors on Saturday to its new home, opposite the Louvre in Paris.
While little has changed externally, the stately 19th-century building, which was a former hotel and department store, has undergone a radical redesign within. The Haussmannian building has been transformed by Pritzker prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, who describes his latest project as an “industrial cathedral” of modular spaces.
The dramatic 70,000-square-foot exhibition space features tall bay windows that create a sense of transparency, blurring the boundaries between the inside and outside world.
Pedestrians, bikers and the city’s traffic serve as complementary, theatrical background sets, while curious passersby can peek through the windows to catch glimpses of the artworks. High glass ceilings near the main entrance funnel in natural light.
An external view of the museum from the street. Marc Domage
Chris Dercon, the museum’s managing director, told CNN that the design “is a dialogue with the history and urban context of the city.”
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