A private contemporary-art foundation housed in a luminous glass-and-steel pavilion designed by Jean Nouvel in 1994, set back behind its own garden on the Boulevard Raspail. The building dissolves the line between inside and out — glass screens echo the trees, including a cedar planted by Chateaubriand in 1823 — and the foundation has a strong reputation for ambitious, often single-artist exhibitions ranging across photography, design, and the work of self-taught and non-Western artists.
The programme rather than a permanent collection is the reason to visit, so check what is showing. It is one of the more rewarding stops for contemporary art on the Left Bank, and the garden alone is a pleasant surprise. (Note: the foundation has announced a move to a new space near the Louvre.)