Jean Nouvel’s challenge was to turn 12,000 square feet and six stories of office space into a magnificent museum dedicated to contemporary art. Rising to that challenge, “Fondation Cartier” became one of Nouvel’s major architectural achievements. It’s easy to see why.

The combination of innovative exhibitions, modern architecture and original garden creates an exceptionally well rounded experience. With the exterior glass facade reflecting the sky and lush foliage, the building constantly changes as the day moves on. Each time a new exhibition is featured, the artist’s task is to reinvent the space s/he’s offered. The garden called Theatrum Botanicum is a curios beauty as well—seen from the street through the glass wall and containing 35 tree species and about 200 native French plants of which fig trees, mint, violets, lilies of the valley and rosemary are the rudimentary beginnings.

The Fondation Cartier is a breathtaking piece of architecture lost in the middle of an ordinary boulevard; and a splendid place to spend an afternoon, cloudy or not.