As it was for the likes of Gertrude Stein or Sidney Bechet, France was the main scene of the life of Paul Nelson. Attracted to the artistic circles that made Paris a party in the 1920s, the young man born in Chicago moved to the French capital to complete his architecture studies, and his career largely took root and place there. Currently on view through 28 February 2022 at the Centre Pompidou is a retrospective exhibition on his rather little-known-of but highly interesting oeuvre, which oozes with the American-turned-French architect’s close friendship with some of the greats of modern art, including Arp, Calder, Léger, and Miró.