Copyright The New York Times
When the Pompidou Center first popped up as a futuristic art factory in the heart of Paris in 1977, it was greeted with degrees of perplexity and shock. Some Parisians described the tubular monument as “horrible.” Others said it reminded them of a giant oil refinery. The French press nicknamed it “Notre Dame des Tuyaux” (“Our Lady of the Pipes”). Nearly five decades later — as the center shuts down until 2030 for urgent structural renovations and an architectural redesign of its interiors — the public reaction could not be more different. The Pompidou is now one of Paris’s most famous and most visited landmarks, a global hub of art and culture, and its closure will leave a big void. Its absence will be especially missed during Paris Art Week, when Art Basel (Friday to Sunday) and other fairs and exhibitions draw tens of thousands of visitors to the city in search of art, culture and opportunities to experience the city’s great institutions. The shutdown comes as Paris experiences a cultural revival. Besides Art Basel (the world’s largest contemporary-art fair franchise), which since 2022 has been holding a fair in Paris every October, the contemporary art scene has flourished. In the last decade or so, two vast private art foundations have opened in the capital: the Fondation Louis Vuitton (founded by the billionaire Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of the world’s largest luxury-goods company LVMH, and designed by the architect Frank Gehry), and the Bourse de Commerce (established by the billionaire Francois Pinault, whose family owns another luxury group, Kering). And reopening this month in its new digs across from the Louvre is the Fondation Cartier (established by the luxury-goods group Richemont, the owners of Cartier). Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
