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104 (Centquatre)
The 104 (Centquatre) is a public cultural cooperative in Paris, open since 2008 on the site of a former municipal funeral parlor. The entirely renovated complex is one of Europe's largest artists' residencies: dancers, writers, painters, sculptors, designers and just about anybody with creative proclivities and something to contribute can exhibit in the large 29,000 square meter space.
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Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF)
Comprised of several sites, the National Library of France (BNF), so named since 1994, is the national library of the French Republic, the heir of royal collections made since the late Middle Ages. It is the largest library in France and one of the largest in the world. Its activities are spread over seven sites, the main one being the library of François-Mitterrand site or Tolbiac. The historic site, dating from the seventeenth century, is in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris.
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Fondation Cartier
Housed in a Jean Nouvel designed building, the non-profit Fondation Cartier was started in 1984. The museum exhibits contemporary and international artists, and currently contains over 1000 works by 300 artists. As a reflection of our times, the Fondation Cartier embraces all creative fields and genres of contemporary art, ranging from design to photography, from painting to video art and from fashion to performance art. This testifies to the Fondation Cartier’s commitment and skill, to its blend of rigor and eclecticism which opens up contemporary art and renders it more accessible. (source: wikipedia.org & fondation.cartier.com)
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Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson
Situated in a beautiful art-deco building dating back to 1912, the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson is an homage to the medium of photography, inaugurated in 2003 under the auspices of the renowned photographer himself. The museum comprises of two exhibition spaces joined by a spiral staircase, and has become in less than a decade one of the most important venues in Paris for photography exhibitions. Besides exhibits highlighting different aspects of Cartier-Bresson's work, it has also featured shows on photographers such as Robert Doisneau, August Sander and other masters of the medium.
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Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume
Set in a 1200 square meter space is the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume which exhibits contemporary art and photography. During World War II it was used by the Nazis to store stolen art for future use in the never-realized Fuhrermuseum, as well as art deemed degenerate (that they tried to sell on the international market). Nowadays it proudly displays what the Nazis would no doubt have considered degenerate, and showcases modern and contemporary art in all its forms, from painting, to film to video art.
