Fernand Pouillon: The Most Wanted Architect in France
Film, Talk
© 2025 Mabumbe
Presented by Villa Albertine and the Alliance française in conjunction with the 6th edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, this screening and conversation with filmmaker Jean-Marie Montangerand revisits the bold career of a 20th-century icon : Fernand Pouillon
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.
In partnership with
Chicago Architecture Biennial
The Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) is dedicated to creating an international forum on architecture and urbanism. It produces year-round programs and a biennial exposition of city-wide activations for a diverse audience of designers, educators, advocates, and students. CAB’s mission is to engage and inspire professional and public audiences, highlight the transformative power of architecture and envision a future for the field that is equitable and sustainable.
Alliance française de Chicago
The Alliance Française de Chicago is over 120 years old and is part of an international network of over 1,100 Alliances and affiliated cultural centers worldwide. It is the second oldest Alliance Française in the US and second largest after the Alliance Française in New York City. Classes are offered for all ages and levels of French, leading to certifications in French for professional purposes or simply for experiencing another language and its various cultures. It also hosts an impressive array of events, bringing notable lecturers to Chicago: authors, filmmakers and directors, winemakers, chefs, designers, historians, actors and performing artists.