jean nouvel's new fondation cartier design goes on view during venice architecture biennale

Jean Nouvel to present the future Fondation Cartier building

From May 10th to September 14th, 2025, the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain showcases an exhibition by Jean Nouvel at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice, coinciding with the 2025 Architecture Biennale. The French architect’s vision for the future spaces of the institution (find designboom’s previous coverage here) are on display following his transformation of a mid-19th-century Haussmannian building at 2 Place du Palais-Royal in Paris, set to open in autumn 2025.

‘The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel’ exhibition at Venice’s Fondazione Giorgio Cini offers visitors a chance to explore the evolving architecture of the Fondation Cartier. A large-scale sectional model showcases the adaptability of the venue, featuring five height-adjustable platforms that allow for various layouts. Alongside this, full-scale photographs, projections, plans, and prototypes illustrate how the design can be transformed to suit different user needs. Notable elements include retractable ceilings that adjust natural light and mechanical guardrails that shift to alter the city view, emphasizing the remarkable flexibility of the space.

all images courtesy of Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain | photo © Luc Boegly

the exhibition to be on view during venice architecture biennale

Since its inception in 1984, the Fondation Cartier has placed architecture at the center of its programming, commissioning Jean Nouvel’s iconic glass-and-steel building on Boulevard Raspail in 1994. With its distinctive lightness, the structure introduced a fresh approach to exhibition spaces. Three decades later, the French architect continues his work with the institution, designing its next home as a flexible exhibition space that adapts to its historic Parisian setting.

Reinforcing the connection between past and future, the exhibition also features a small glass engraving of the Fondation Cartier Boulevard Raspail building and a video exploring Jean Nouvel’s past museographic projects. In Venice, the exhibition is placed within the setting of the museum city during this year’s Architecture Biennale, with the Fondazione Giorgio Cini becoming a natural part of the experience. As visitors walk through the space, they’ll find themselves looking out the windows of the museum at the iconic view of San Giorgio Maggiore across the Grand Canal. 

The relationship between the exhibition and the Venetian landscape mirrors the approach taken with the new building of the Fondation Cartier, currently being developed in the heart of Paris. Just as the views of Venice shape the experience inside the museum, the design of the Fondation Cartier will be integrated into its historic Parisian setting. 

rendering of platform 1 looking onto the Rue de Rivoli | image © Jean Nouvel/ADAGP, Paris, 2024

program and book publication complete the project

A public program accompanying the exhibition takes place on May 9th at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini. This program focuses on the idea of the ‘Museum as a site of architectural experimentation’ and explore the role of museums in shaping the future of architecture. Alongside Jean Nouvel, the event features a range of participants, including architects, art historians, and museum directors, such as Cecilia Puga, Andrés Jaque, Lina Ghotmeh, Manuel Segade, and Antoine Picon. After the public opening, the program will be available in video format for visitors to view within the exhibition spaces.

In conjunction with the opening of the new Fondation Cartier spaces in Paris in Autumn 2025, the institution will publish a book dedicated to Jean Nouvel’s architectural design for the building. The book will include a variety of photographs depicting the interior and exterior of the building, telling its story and revealing technical challenges the architect faced. This publication provides insights into the renovation project, the result of nearly forty years of collaboration between the Fondation Cartier and Jean Nouvel.

Building site view of the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain’s future premises, place du Palais-Royal, Paris. Rendering of platform 1 looking out onto the place du Palais-Royal © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2024

Building site view of the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain’s future premises, place du Palais-Royal, Paris. Rendering of the view from the entrance, with all the platforms at level -1. © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2024

Building site view of the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain’s future premises, Place du Palais-Royal, Paris, March 2025. Photo © Martin Argyroglo

Building site view of the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain’s future premises, Place du Palais-Royal, Paris, March 2025. Photo © Martin Argyroglo

Exhibition view of ‘The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel’ at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, May 2025. © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Andrea Rossetti

Exhibition view of ‘The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel’ at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, May 2025. © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Andrea Rossetti

Exhibition view of ‘The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel’ at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, May 2025. © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Andrea Rossetti

Exhibition view of ‘The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel’ at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, May 2025. © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Andrea Rossetti

Exhibition view of ‘The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel’ at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, May 2025. © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Andrea Rossetti

Exhibition view of ‘The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel’ at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, May 2025. © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Andrea Rossetti

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Jean Nouvel in the exhibition 'The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel' at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, May 2025. © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Andrea Rossetti

Exhibition view of 'The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel' at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, May 2025. © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Andrea Rossetti

Exhibition view of 'The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel' at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, May 2025. © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Andrea Rossetti

Jean Nouvel and Chris Dercon, Managing Director of Fondation Cartier in the exhibition 'The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel' at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, May 2025. © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Andrea Rossetti

Jean Nouvel and Chris Dercon, Managing Director and Béatrice Grenier, Strategic and International Projects Director of Fondation Cartier in the exhibition 'The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel' at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, May 2025. © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Andrea Rossetti

Building site view of the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain’s future premises, Place du Palais-Royal, Paris, March 2025. Photo © Martin Argyroglo

Exhibition view of 'The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel' at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, May 2025. © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Andrea Rossetti

Exhibition view of 'The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel' at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, May 2025. © Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Andrea Rossetti

project info:

name: The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel
architect: Jean Nouvel | @ateliersjeannouvel
venue: Fondazione Giorgio Cini | @fondazionecini
location: Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, Italy
dates: May 10 – September 14, 2025
foundation: Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain | @fondationcartier