The Making of the Great Museums of Paris: The Making and Remaking of the Fondation Cartier

Béatrice Grenier will explain how the programming and collection of the Fondation Cartier Pour l’Art Contemporain has evolved since it first opened in Jouy-en-Josas in 1984 as the first major museum in France created by a private foundation; then moved to the glass building on Boulevard Raspail designed by architect Jean Nouvel in 1994; and moved again on October 25, 2025, to the building on Place du Palais Royal next to the Louvre formerly occupied by Louvre des Antiquaires and renovated by Jean Nouvel.

About the Presenter

Béatrice Grenier

Béatrice Grenier is the Director of Strategic Projects and International Programs at the Fondation Cartier.

About the Series Curator and Moderator

Russell Kelley

Russell Kelley was the curator and moderator of the past five winters’ Zoom lecture series on the History and Heritage of France featuring the “Grands Châteaux of the Loire and Île de France”, “The Making of the French Garden”,  “The Great Churches of Paris”, “The Making of the Great Museums of Paris – From the Revolution Until 1900”, and “World Monuments in Paris”. He is the author of The Making of Paris: The Story of How Paris Evolved from a Fishing Village into the World’s Most Beautiful City (Lyons Press, 2021) and Walking Through the Ages of Paris – Ten Historical Walking Tours Through the City of Light (Lyons Press, to be published in 2026), and has lived in Paris for more than 30 years.