Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art, Paris

The Fondation Cartier for Contemporary Art was built and funded by the Cartier family of jewelers. The building is a tour-de-force of modern architecture by Jean Nouvel; arguably the finest new building in Paris. Appearing to be absolutely transparent or invisible at certain angles, the exterior walls are planes of glass parallel to boulevard Raspail. Changing exhibits are on the spacious, light-filled first floor and in the basement, and are always provacative, cutting-edge, often witty, and not to be missed. - - For those interested in modern garden design or botany, the gardens surrounding the building will be worth a visit; subtle and surprising. The design echos a forest floor, with mosses and woodland plants, and bulbs in the spring. Also on the grounds is the world-famous 200 year-old Cedar of Lebanon planted by the poet Francois-Rene de Chateaubriand.