Screening: Chicago Architecture Biennial—Fernand Pouillon: France's Most Wanted Architect

In partnership with Villa Albertine and MAS Context and as part of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the Alliance is delighted to welcome French director Jean-Marie Montangerand for a screening and discussion of his 2023 documentary Fernand Pouillon: France’s Most Wanted Architect. 

On September 8, 1962, French architect, urban planner, building contractor, and writer Fernand Pouillon escaped imprisonment after being incarcerated for a real estate scandal, becoming the “most wanted architect in France.” Montangerand’s award-winning documentary explores Pouillon’s spectacularly dramatic life through current and historic footage of his housing in Paris, Marseille, and Algiers.

His personality and his antics overshadowed his work. But his system was to build better, cheaper and faster than others so that everyone could live decently. He thought that beauty should not just be the privilege of the most well-off. - Montangerand, quoted in The Guardian September 2, 2025

After the program, guests will be welcomed to a reception where they can enjoy a complimentary glass of French wine and have the opportunity to speak with the director.

Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Program starts at 6:30 p.m. Please enter via 54 W Chicago Ave. Non-alcoholic options will be available.

This event is the last in a three-part series of free programs as part of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, in partnership with Villa Albertine. Previous events featured French architecture agency Atelier Senzu and French filmmaker Théodora Barat.

About Fernand Pouillon

Over 50 years Pouillon built more than 5 million square meters, mainly between France and Algeria. Working at a frantic pace, he traveled tens of thousands of kilometers per week by propeller plane to reach construction sites at night or at dawn between Marseille, Paris, Algiers, and the middle of the desert, until he burned his wings

Pouillon is remembered for building homes for the middle-class and poor families. The beauty and quality of Fernand Pouillon’s housing estates prove that he is one of the greatest architects of the 20th century.

About the Director

Jean-Marie Montangerand

After training to become a camera operator, Jean-Marie Montangerand began at the Laboratoires Éclair, before moving on to different television channels (groupe M6, TFI and France TV). He worked as an writer and assistant director for production companies like Survivance, Les films de la Pluie, BelAir Media, VraiVrai Films and Kuiv Productions. In 2007, he founded the Vidéobus workshops, sponsored by Wes Anderson and Luc Dardenne, which leads educational workshops about images and film around the world. After studying at the Lussas school, he turned towards directing documentaries. He produced multiple films such as Le Périple jeune then Siciliens with Roberto Alagna, which aired on France 3 and was distributed by Universal Music. His work Les Yeux de la Parole, co-directed with David Daurier, was released in 2019 with Mediapart, was awarded a Brouillon d’un rêve grant from SCAM, and was selected at numerous festivals: Institut du monde arabe, BAFF Beyrouth, FICNC Cotonou, Festival des Libertés et des Droits de l’Homme, PCMMO, and received the Grand Prix du Réel en vue. Lately, Montangerand has directed multiple projects about doomed architects for France 3: Fernand Pouillon: France’s Most Wanted Architect, produced by BelAir Media, two-time winner at FIFAAC 2023, then La Malédiction de la Grande Arche, with Kuiv Productions.

About the Chicago Architecture Biennial

The Chicago Architecture Biennial convenes the world to explore innovative ideas and collectively imagine the future of design. The Biennial’s large-scale exhibitions, talks, performances, films, and other events, create opportunities to engage timely global issues through the lens of architecture and design, emphasizing creativity and community participation. Free and open to the public, the Chicago Architecture Biennial stands as North America’s largest international survey of contemporary architecture and design.

The sixth edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change, opens September 19, 2025 and will be on view through February 28, 2026.

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