Norman Foster's six-decade career gets a retrospective treatment at the Centre Pompidou Paris

A new retrospective exhibition covering the six-decade career of Norman Foster will go on display at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Opening May 10th, the large (23,680-square-foot) exhibition, designed by Foster and the Norman Foster Foundation, will focus on themes of  "sustainability and anticipating the future."

According to the architect: “The birth of the practice in the 1960s 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. 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.”

The exhibition is divided into seven themes (Nature and Urbanity; Skin and Bones; Vertical City; History and Tradition; Planning and Place; Networks and Mobility and Future) and will be supplemented by materials related to 130 major Foster + Partners projects from around the world.

His design for the exhibition includes an introductory section of sketchbooks and drawings not previously seen before in the country. Cars and other inspirational objects will also be featured alongside artwork by Ferdinand Léger, Ai Weiwei, and others.

The exhibition comes along with a 264-page catalog accompaniment featuring 80 of the firm's most significant projects, including those pursued through early collaboration with Buckminster Fuller. It will remain on view until August 7th in Galerie 1 of the Centre’s 6th floor. 

More information about visiting the Centre Pompidou can be found here.