The Carré d'art at

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Located between the Med ...

in southern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

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), M ...

, 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 ( ; ; born February 28, 1929) is a Canadian-American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become attractions. Gehry rose to prominence in th ...

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 ob ...

and

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

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

Norman Foster Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank (born 1 June 1935) is an English architect. Closely associated with the development of high-tech architecture, Lord Foster is recognised as a key figure in British modernist architecture. Hi ...

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 Museums in Gard Art museums and galleries in France Buildings and structures completed in 1993 Library buildings completed in 1993 Art museums and galleries 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 Libraries in Occitania