Photo : Andreas Bohnenstengel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 de)
Carré d'art
Carré d'Art is a cultural facility in Nîmes that brings together the contemporary art museum and the municipal library. It stands on Place de la Maison Carrée, facing the Roman temple of which it is the modern counterpart.
The British architect Norman Foster was chosen in 1984 after a competition of twelve architects. The glass and steel building was inaugurated in May 1993. About half of it is buried so as not to break the proportions of the place and to respect the balance with the Maison Carrée.
The contemporary art museum began building its collection in 1986. It includes more than 600 works, from 1960 to today, with a core devoted to movements linked to the south of France: Nouveau Réalisme, Support-Surface and Figuration Libre. The collection's hanging is renewed each year, and temporary exhibitions are organised.
The place is aimed at lovers of contemporary art, architecture and reading, as well as visitors to Nîmes who wish to combine ancient heritage and current creation.
