Works of Swiss artist Giacometti in Paris headed for new, grander museum

The Giacometti Museum is set to open in 2028 on the Esplanade des Invalides, a vast green expanse in central Paris. It is a prestigious location for Alberto Giacometti, an artist who spent most of his life working in a modest 16-square-metre studio. Is the new space too luxurious for such a minimalist figure? The question is stirring debate. The future Giacometti Museum will be established in 2028 in a rather imperial part of Paris. Overlooking the Seine, the site is part of a grand architectural axis stretching from the ornate Pont Alexandre III – a bridge built in honour of a Russian tsar – to Les Invalides, home to Napoleon’s tomb. It’s a neighbourhood of gold-leaf facades, military history, and embassies, including the Swiss embassy, just 100 metres or so away. The museum will occupy the former Invalides train station, which is currently undergoing renovation. At present, only metro passengers still pass through, navigating scaffolding and accompanied by the sound of jackhammers.