A new museum and school dedicated to artist Alberto Giacometti will open in Paris in 2026, bringing together the world’s largest collection of his work, his foundation announced on Monday.
The new museum will take over a 6,000-square-metre (64,600-square-foot) space at the former Invalides train station and its underground annexes.
It will have a permanent collection and feature a rotation from the 10,000 works created by Giacometti (1901-1966), who was born in Switzerland but moved to Paris in the 1920s.
He is best known for his spindly bronze figures but also created a huge number of paintings, drawings and decorative objects, “most of which are currently not accessible to the public”, Catherine Grenier, director of the Giacometti Foundation, told AFP.
The foundation was formed in 2003 by the artist’s widow, Annette Giacometti.
The new museum will also show “exhibitions of modern and contemporary art connected with the spirit of Giacometti”, Grenier said, as well as providing a learning centre “aimed at everyone — children and adults, the experienced or novices”.
Paris is already home to the Giacometti Institute that houses his tiny former studio, which will be moved to the new museum.
The institute will remain but be used for different activities.
The Invalides station and the vast spaces beneath the neighbouring esplanade were built for the 1900 Paris Exposition and are currently undergoing a major renovation by the city authorities.
