Inaugurated in 1993 by the architect Norman Foster, the Carré d’art-Musée d’art contemporain is the implementation of an ambitious logic that gives the city of Nîmes a contemporary showcase in both architecture and the visual arts.
The museum's exhibition areas are on two floors, one for the permanent collection, one of the largest in France, the other for special exhibitions by international artists.
The collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art, which started in 1986, comprises over 400 works. The collection extends from 1960 to the present day. Their compilation has focused on the representation of movements that have emerged in the south of France, such as New Realism, Support Surface and the Figuration Libre. The hanging of the collection, which is renewed every year, enables a deeper approach to the major artistic movements and enables the new acquisitions to be exhibited.
The life of the museum is also organized around special exhibitions, especially monographic exhibitions, which have made it possible to publicize the works of important artists in France.