Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Louvre des Antiquaires is an ancient shopping centre specializing in antiques, installed in a Second Empire style building built in 1852. Located in the Palais-Royal district, it occupied the renovated premises of the former Grands Magasins du Louvre, closed in 1974. With a surface area of 10,000 m2 spread over three levels, it was the first covered antiquities center of France at its inauguration in October 1978, although competing with other Parisian places such as the Carré Rive left or the flea market of Saint-Ouen.

The building, whose façade has arcades in harmony with the surrounding architecture, housed up to 250 shops offering high-end antique objects, ranging from high antiquity to the 1980s. There were regular temporary thematic exhibitions. However, from 2015, the antique dealers gradually left the premises, reduced to one merchant in 2019, due to a project to convert the site.

In 2018, it is announced that the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art will occupy the premises from 2025, on an area of 6,000 m2 dedicated to its permanent collection. The building, closed to the public since August 2020 for renovation, has been renovated by architect Jean Nouvel. This project is part of an architectural and museum renewal of the neighbourhood, including sites such as the Canopée des Halles or the Bourse de commerce-Collection Pinault.

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