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Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art in Paris, France

by Pritzker Prize-Winning Architect Jean Nouvel

1991-94, Paris, France

Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art in Paris, France. Jean Nouvel, architect.

Photo © Philippe Ruault, courtesy Ateliers Jean Nouvel
The Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art was completed in 1994, only two years before the Quai Branly Museum. Both buildings have glass walls dividing the streetscape from the museum grounds. Both buildings experiment with light and reflection, confusing the inner and outer boundaries. But the Quai Branly Museum is bold, colorful, and chaotic, while the Cartier Foundation is a sleek, sophistocated modernist work rendered in glass and steel.

Closeup view of the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art >>

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