Centre Pompidou Closes For Five Years
Visitors, both tourists and locals, flocked to the iconic Pompidou Center in Paris over the weekend to enjoy a final look at its esteemed art collection before it closed for major renovations for five years. The Pompidou Centre was visited by 3.2 million visitors in 2024, making it one of Paris’s most frequented museums, falling behind only the Louvre (8 million) and the Musée d’Orsay (3.7 million).
The 2,000 artworks displayed on the fourth and fifth levels of the 48-year-old museum will be lent to other galleries and locations starting today. These pieces will be temporarily located in museums both within France and abroad while the lengthy renovation of the Pompidou Center—known for its striking facade adorned with colourful pipes and ventilation systems—is undertaken. Over the weekend, visitors could peruse the gallery free of charge. In addition, they could enjoy accompanying workshops, performances, and DJ sets organized for the occasion.
The Pompidou Centre will fully close on September 22 of this year. It was established in 1977, taking its name after French President (1969-1974) Georges Pompidou. The renovation project, costing 262 million euros ($284 million), will involve the removal of asbestos from the building. The renovation is expected to be completed by 2030. The original building, designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, will also renovate the library and music research unit while upgrading its technology to make it more energy efficient. The renovation will be overlooked by the architecture firm Moreau Kusunoki.
Some of the pieces will be taken out of storage and exhibited at the Grand Palais, in Paris.
The Last Day at Pompidou Centre
The weekend was a bittersweet memory for numerous visitors. Some attendees were frequent visitors, while others were experiencing the collection for the first time. Elisa Hervelin, a guide at the museum exclaimed “Five years — it’s long! Putting the artworks elsewhere… There will never be collections in their current form.” Alyssa, an 11-year-old French girl, who accompanied her 62-year-old grandfather, said she wanted to “see for real” the abstract paintings of Dutch artist Piet Mondrian, which she had been shown in her school’s art class.
Courtesy – Moreau Kusunoki
Paula Goulart, a 25-year-old Brazilian, admitted she was there mainly for the spectacular view of the Paris skyline from the centre’s upper storeys. Her Portuguese friend Luisa Fraga, “wanted to enjoy as much as possible the artworks before they are no longer here”. A Chinese visitor, Yujie Zou, who visited the Pompidou Centre during his Europe trip said, “I love Matisse. It was the first painter I studied at school.”
Image Courtesy – Franck Fife/AFP
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