Major urban development and decentralization created a dynamic expansion of the arts in France during the last decades of the 20th century. The famous Centre Pompidou in Paris and President François Mitterand's grands projets (the glass pyramid at the Louvre, Grand Arche, Opéra Bastille, etc.) provide striking evidence of this activity. In addition, there are the new towns and city parks designed by esteemed architects, impressive art centers throughout the provinces and some dazzling works of public art. Here, for the first time, these are identified and described in illuminating narratives.