Fernand Pouillon: The Most Wanted Architect in France

Villa Albertine and MAS Context join forces with the Alliance Française de Chicago to welcome French filmmaker Jean-Marie Montangerand for a screening of his 2023 documentary Fernand Pouillon: The Most Wanted Architect in France.

This captivating film traces the extraordinary life of Fernand Pouillon—architect, urban planner, entrepreneur, and writer—an admired yet controversial figure of the twentieth century. Known for his bold vision and social commitment to architecture, Pouillon sought to build better, faster, and more affordably, convinced that beauty should not be reserved for the privileged few. In 1962, his spectacular escape from prison after a real estate scandal made him a media legend: “the most wanted architect in France.”

Through archival footage and contemporary images of his buildings in Paris, Marseille, and Algiers, Montangerand paints the portrait of a visionary and defiant creator whose work continues to question the relationship between ethics, aesthetics, and power.

The screening will be followed by a conversation with the filmmaker and a convivial reception with a complimentary glass of French wine.