ART SQUARE - MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART

As its name suggests, Le Carré d'art faces the Maison Carrée, a fabulous vestige of Nîmes' Roman past. The building housing its collections dates back to 1993, and was designed by the famous architect Norman Foster, whose work includes the restoration of the Reichstag in Berlin, and the construction of the Millau Viaduct. Made of metal and glass, it offers 2,000 m² of exhibition space on two levels, crossed by a vast staircase.

The permanent collection, which spans the period from the 1960s to the present day, features over 500 works that demonstrate how the principles of European art have been challenged over the past half-century. The exhibition is divided into three sections: a panorama of French art, a Mediterranean identity focusing on southern France, Spain and Italy, and a presentation of Anglo-Saxon and German trends.

In addition to these collections, which are presented on an annual basis, you'll discover major temporary exhibitions devoted to contemporary artists (Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Giuseppe Penone, Rebecca Horn, etc.). Aleksandra Kasuba and Marija Olsauskaite open the year 2025.

The entrance to Carré d'art is adorned with two imposing works designed for the institution: Mud Line, a fresco by Richard Long, and Gaul, a sculpture by Ellsworth Kelly. Then, from room to room, creations from the Nouveau Réalisme, Support/Surface and Figuration Libre movements, all born in the south of France, follow one another. Also represented are abstraction in all its forms, narrative figuration,Arte povera, conceptual art, land art, the Düsseldorf School and other Germanic trends, the revival of Spanish art..

You'll see works by Robert Combas(Tokyo Joe, La Grande Bataille), Sophie Calle(Les Dormeurs), César(Compression de voitures), Hervé di Rosa(Naissance d'une civilisation : la guerre fait rage), Annette Messager(Mes caoutchoucs), Niki de Saint-Phalle(Composition à la trotinette - Tir à la carabine), Andy Warhol... At the end of the tour is a large installation by Christian Boltanski. Le Carré d'Art also boasts an extensive documentation center, offering free access to over 30,000 books and catalogs on the visual arts, architecture, photography, fashion, dance, design, cultural policies and museology.