Carré d'Art - Musée d'art contemporain
Inaugurated in 1993, the Carré d'Art is an architectural work by Norman Foster that houses the museum of contemporary art and the library. The museum has a collection of 500 works, from 1960 to the present day. Launched in 1986, the collection has three main focuses: a panorama of French art, with major movements and groups of singular figures represented; a Mediterranean identity based on the south of France, Spain and Italy; and a presentation of Anglo-Saxon and Germanic trends. In addition to its collection, the museum presents exhibitions of major artists from the French and international scenes.
Inaugurated in 1993, the Carré d'Art is an architectural work by Norman Foster that houses the museum of contemporary art and the library. The museum has a collection of 500 works, from 1960 to the present day. Launched in 1986, the collection has three main focuses: a panorama of French art, with major movements and groups of singular figures represented; a Mediterranean identity based on the south of France, Spain and Italy; and a presentation of Anglo-Saxon and Germanic trends. In addition to its collection, the museum presents exhibitions of major artists from the French and international scenes.
Programme
MA, l’espace qui relie, Marie-Ange Guilleminot
MA signifies the interval, the space between two things, the silence between two sounds, the pause between two gestures, the void between two forms. Distance or duration, not as forces that separate, but as those that connect, allowing elements to breathe. MA is this interval filled with potential and meaning, a living space that leaves room for imagination, perception and experience.
Marie-Ange Guilleminot’s practice, which combines sculpture, installation, performance, video and drawing, often places the body at the centre of experiences rooted in touch, movement and transformation. Her works revolve around a three-way relationship: the artist’s “I”, the audience’s “you” and the transitional object, the art object. This triangular relationship sets in motion a dialogue between curiosity, seduction and frustration. The exhibition surveys her entire body of work, from the 1980s to the present day.
Le désastre prend soin de tout, Sylvain Fraysse
Following his research and creative residency at the Bob Calle documentation centre at Carré d’Art – Musée d’art contemporain in Nîmes, artist Sylvain Fraysse presents work exploring themes of destruction, disappearance and absence. Notebooks, drawings and research tables featuring a selection of books explored during the residency are on display in the documentation centre, while the exhibition on the Mur Foster takes a more experimental, visual approach: a sound installation, video, graphic works and wall-based pieces reveal ghostly traces and spectral layers gathered during the artist’s investigations.
This residency was supported by the Occitanie Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs and the Gard Departmental Council.
New Collection Display
Built up since 1986, the museum’s collection comprises nearly 700 works dating from 1960 to the present day. Echoing the recent Clément donation, the new display on the floor dedicated to the collection highlights the groups ABC Productions, represented by artists Jean Azémard and Tjeerd Alkema, and Supports/Surfaces. The exhibition continues with an exploration of how painting is made and its many forms of experimentation, from Christopher Wool and Jessica Stockholder to Eugénie Paultre and Albert Oehlen. Finally, the display turns to new generations of artists exploring questions of borders and migration around the Mediterranean basin.
Access
Carré d'Art - Musée d'art contemporain
Place de la Maison-Carrée
30000 Nîmes
- 33 (0)4 66 76 35 70/35
carreartmusee.com
Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm.
Until 6.30pm at weekends.
Closed on 1 May.
Locate other art venues in the vicinity on the map.
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PLACES TO DISCOVER
• La Maison Carrée : an exceptionally well-preserved Roman temple, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Les Arènes : one of the world’s best-preserved Roman amphitheatres, still used for performances and bullfighting events.
• Le Musée de la Romanité : opposite the Arènes, Nîmes’ archaeological collections are displayed in a remarkable contemporary building with an undulating façade.
• Musée des Beaux-arts : European paintings from the 15th to the 20th century, housed in a museum built in 1907 around a Roman mosaic.
• Musée du Vieux Nîmes : the city’s history, traditions and textile heritage, presented in the former Bishop’s Palace.
• CACN : an art centre in the Pissevin district, dedicated to exhibitions, residencies and contemporary creation.
• Collection Lambert : a major contemporary art collection presented in two 18th-century mansions in the heart of Avignon.
• Fondation Vincent van Gogh : a dialogue between Van Gogh’s work and contemporary art, housed in a 15th-century mansion in Arles.
PLACES TO EAT
• Le Célestia : local, seasonal cuisine served with panoramic views over Nîmes, at the top of Carré d’Art.
• Textures : whether in the bistro or tearoom, everything is homemade, with a menu that changes with the seasons.
• Le Chabanais : small plates for sharing, inspired by brasserie classics and lifted by flavours from further afield.
• La Marmite : for more than 20 years, creative and generous bistro cuisine made with local produce.
PLACES TO STAY
• Royal Hôtel *** : a former 19th-century stone cloister transformed into a charming hotel, just steps from the Maison Carrée and Carré d’Art.
• Appart'hôtel Odalys Le Cheval Blanc : apartments blending period charm with contemporary comfort, opposite the Arènes and a five-minute walk from the station.
• L'Imperator : an iconic Art Deco hotel with a spa and gardens, a short walk from Carré d’Art and the Jardins de la Fontaine.
• Le Grand Hôtel Dieu : a five-star spa hotel housed in the former Chamber of Commerce building, in the heart of Nîmes and just steps from the Arènes.
