Cartier Foundation Opens New Paris Venue with 'Exposition Générale' Exhibition

The Cartier Foundation inaugurated its new Paris location on October 25, 2025, with the exhibition 'Exposition Générale,' which runs through August 23, 2026. The show, curated by Grazia Quaroni and Béatrice Grenier, presents the foundation's 40-year collection in a redesigned 8,500-square-meter space originally built for luxury shops during the Universal Exhibition. The architectural renovation by Jean Nouvel has drawn criticism for its labyrinthine layout and departure from the institution's previous luminous, garden-connected spaces. The exhibition is organized around four thematic sections: 'Machines of Architecture,' featuring Freddy Mamani's neo-Andean installations; 'Being Nature,' with works by Claudia Andujar and Bruno Novelli addressing environmental preservation; 'Making Things,' highlighting craft-based practices like Virgil Ortiz's ceramics; and 'A Real World,' exploring technology and fiction through pieces like Panamarenko's brass submarine. The collection emphasizes Latin American and Indigenous artists, including Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe and the Gran Chaco artists collective, positioning the foundation as a key platform for decolonial perspectives in France, where major museums lack dedicated Latin American departments. Critics note tensions between the aesthetic presentation of Indigenous cultures and ongoing extractivist realities, with some describing the approach as exoticizing. The exhibition includes over 100 artists, such as Bodys Isek Kingelez, Peter Halley, Alessandro Mendini, and Solange Pessoa.