See you in 2030: the Pompidou Center closed for five years of renovation

The monument, which welcomed five million visitors in 2024, extends over nine levels accessible to the public by escalators (120.000 m2) which have been gradually emptied.

Frida Kahlo, Dali, Bacon, Duchamp... the works of major artists have been relocated from the permanent collections, which housed some 2.000 of the 150.000 works in its collection. The public library, which welcomed thousands of students and regulars daily, has moved to another location in the capital, awaiting its reopening in 2030.

A "heartbreak" for many visitors encountered by AFP there in recent months.

On Monday, its final day, the center remained open from 11:00 a.m. to 23:00 p.m., allowing those who wished to see a final exhibition, free of charge, by contemporary German artist Wolfgang Tillmans, at the intersection of photography, video, music, and publishing.

From October 22 to 25, the public will also be invited to "a great musical and artistic celebration" at the establishment on the occasion of Contemporary Art Week in Paris, the president of the Centre Pompidou, Laurent Le Bon, announced to AFP.

Inaugurated in 1977 and designed as a place "open to all" by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers (who passed away in 2021), the Centre Pompidou was dedicated to welcoming all forms of culture. Also known as Beaubourg, it revolutionized its era and won over audiences from both the Paris region and abroad.

"Shock of 1977"

But it is suffering from dilapidation. Asbestos removal, accessibility, security, and a complete interior redesign are all on the agenda for major renovations.

Better climate protection with new waterproofing is also planned, aiming to "reduce energy bills by 40%," Mr. Le Bon said.

"We're keeping the exterior shell, but from the basement to the top floor, we're changing everything," he explained.

According to him, when they return to the "Centre Pompidou 2030", visitors will discover at the entrance "a brand new multidisciplinary forum of 10.000 m2 on two levels bringing together performance, exhibition and cinema halls, all interconnected".

A huge terrace open to the public on the seventh floor will offer breathtaking views of Paris.

The Museum of Modern Art will have a new scenography and a tour "highlighting the place of women artists and giving pride of place to social debates (ecology, relationship to the city, etc.) as well as new technologies."

"We hope that visitors will have a bit of the same shock as when the Centre opened in 1977," he continued.

460 million

The site will be "listed as a historic monument in 2026," which will allow "the Ministry of Culture to benefit from its expertise in the renovation and to protect this icon by preventing future developments from distorting the original project of its designers," explained Mr. Le Bon.

The total cost of the work is estimated at 460 million euros, of which 280 million will be financed by the state. For the remaining 180 million, "100 million has already been secured, and we are hopeful of finding the remaining 80 million within the next five years," he said.

In addition to patronage and the circulation of exhibitions, the Centre Pompidou can count on its "brand" and its international twins - the next two will be Seoul in May 2026 and Brussels in November 2026 - as well as on its "partnerships", first and foremost that with Saudi Arabia, which is contributing 50 million euros to the renovation.

During the closure, his collections will be exhibited in France and abroad. After "Niki de Saint-Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Pontus Hulten" at the Grand Palais, a major exhibition on Matisse is scheduled for spring 2026.

In parallel with the work, construction work on a new storage space for the works, which will also be an exhibition space and a cultural space open to the public, has started in Massy (Essonne) and is expected to be inaugurated at the end of 2026.