Paris' Centre Pompidou wil present the largest retrospective spanning the entire oeuvre of Norman Foster’s work over the last six decades, which will open at the Centre Pompidou in Paris in May this year. 

The exhibition, Norman Foster, will be on view from 10 May to 7 August 2023 at Galerie 1 at the Centre Pompidou, Paris, France.

Covering nearly 2,200 square metres, the Centre Pompidou’s retrospective exhibition dedicated to Norman Foster in Galerie 1 reviews the different periods in the architect’s work and highlights his cutting-edge creations, such as the headquarters of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (Hong Kong, 1979-1986), the Carré d’Art (Nîmes, 1984-1993), Hong Kong International Airport (1992-1998) and Apple Park (Cupertino, United States, 2009-2017).

"This exhibition traces the themes of sustainability and anticipating the future. The birth of the practice in the 1960’s coincided with the first signs of an awareness of the fragility of the planet. These were the green shoots of what would later be named The Green Movement," said Norman Foster, Founder and Executive Chairman, Foster + Partners and President, Norman Foster Foundation. 

"These principles may now be mainstream but more than half a century ago they were revolutionary and anticipated the reality of today. Throughout the decades we have sought to challenge conventions, reinvent building types and demonstrate an architecture of light and lightness, inspired by nature, which can be about joy as well as being eco-friendly," Foster added.

The scenography of the exhibition was designed by Norman Foster and executed in collaboration with Foster + Partners and the Norman Foster Foundation.

The layout of the exhibition unfolds in the course of seven themes: Nature and Urbanity; Skin and Bones; Vertical City; History and Tradition; Planning and Place; Networks and Mobility and Future. 

The exhibition features drawings, sketches, original scale models and dioramas, along with many videos, which enable visitors to discover around 130 major projects. Welcoming visitors at the entrance to the exhibition, a drawing gallery showcases items never seen before in France, consisting of drawings, sketchbooks, sketches and photographs taken by the architect.

Illustrating a resonance with Foster’s architecture, the display includes works by Fernand Léger, Constantin Brancusi, Umberto Boccioni and Ai Weiwei, along with industrial creations, such as a glider and several classic automobiles, which have often served as sources of inspiration.

Accompanying the exhibition, a 264-page catalogue presents the architect's work through the prism of eighty of his most significant projects. This monograph is enriched with three portfolios presenting the sources of inspiration for his early creations, the projects conducted in collaboration with Richard Buckminster Fuller, along with exhibited drawings and sketches. This collective volume is published by Editions du Centre Pompidou, under the direction of Frédéric Migayrou, curator of the exhibition.

Read more about the exhibition on Centre Pompidou's website. 

Top image: Le viaduc de Millau (Millau, France, 1993-2004). Image © Daniel Jamme/Eiffage, via Centre Pompidou. 

> via Centre Pompidou & Norman Foster Foundation