Vivid Memories: 30 Years of the Fondation Cartier

To mark its third decade, the Fondation Cartier is showcasing its history with a rotating roster of works from its permanent collection, acquired from each of the exhibitions of the artists they’ve shown over the years. Beyond providing a venue, the foundation engages with emerging artists and follows them over the development of their careers.

The works on display are a testament to this out-on-a-limb commitment. They include David Lynch’s Works on Paper, a collage of post-its, napkins and script covers from The Air is on Fire, his Fondation Cartier show of 2007, which was one of the first times that his polymorphic work beyond film was shown for its own merit in a fine art environment, and also Ron Mueck’s gigantic In Bed, from the Australian scultpor’s first solo exhibition in France.

Each piece tells an interesting story, from the mesmerizing Möbius comic strip sketchbook to Marc Newson’s huge Kelvin 40, a sculpture resembling a futuristic aircraft that, in the words of philosopher Paul Virilio “in a time of stealth airplanes, destined to escape detection, comes this fictional plane, that serves no other purpose than to be seen”.

Tip: Take a refreshing pause in the idiosyncratic garden, where you’ll find more pieces on show.

Until September 21 at the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, 261 boulevard Raspail, Paris 14th. Métro: Raspail, Denfert-Rochereau. Open daily 11am-8pm. Tuesdays until 10pm. Closed Mondays. Entry is €10.50. Tel: +33 1 42 18 56 50

From France Today Magazine