The Carré d'art at Nîmes in southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

houses a museum of contemporary art and the city's municipal library. Constructed of glass, concrete and steel, it faces the

Maison carrée Maison (French for "house") may refer to: People * Edna Maison (1892–1946), American silent-film actress * Jérémy Maison (born 1993), French cyclist * Leonard Maison, New York state senator 1834–1837 * Nicolas Joseph Maison (1771–1840) ...

, a perfectly preserved Roman temple that dates from the very beginning of the 1st century AD. In 1984, twelve architects, including

Frank Gehry Frank Owen Gehry, , FAIA (; ; born ) is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions. His works are considere ...

Jean Nouvel Jean Nouvel (; born 12 August 1945) is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of ''Mars 1976'' and '' Syndicat de l'Architecture'', France’s first labor union for architects. He has o ...

and

César Pelli César Pelli (October 12, 1926 – July 19, 2019) was an Argentine-American architect who designed some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. Two of his most notable buildings are the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur a ...

, were invited to submit proposals for the museum. A design by the British architect

Norman Foster Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

was selected, and the building was opened in May 1993. The building was constructed as part of a project to refurbish the square in which the Maison carrée stands, and provides a new setting for the ancient temple.Carré d'Art
, Foster and Partners, accessed February 5, 2009. The building is a nine-storey structure, half of which is sunk deep into the ground, keeping the building's profile low in sympathy with the scale of the surrounding buildings. The lower levels house archive storage and a cinema.

References

External links

Carré d'Art - musée d'art contemporain
- official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Carre D'art Foster and Partners buildings Buildings and structures in Nîmes Arts centres in France Libraries in France Museums in Gard Art museums and galleries in France Cultural infrastructure completed in 1993 Library buildings completed in 1993 Art museums established in 1993 Libraries established in 1993 1993 establishments in France Tourist attractions in Nîmes Organizations based in Occitania (administrative region) 20th-century architecture in France