France's Pompidou Center shuts for 5-year refit

PARIS

Paris's Pompidou Center, which houses one of the world's most significant modern art collections in one of the most celebrated modern buildings on the planet, was shut to visitors yesterday for a major five-year overhaul estimated to cost almost half a billion euros.

The museum, famed for its multicolored exterior and exposed piping and escalators, draws millions of visitors every year to admire the architecture as much as the art.

Designed by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers as an open space for all, and named after former president Georges Pompidou, who died in office in 1974, the centre opened its doors in 1977.

Its permanent collection closed for visitors back in March, when specialists began to remove works from display, including paintings by the likes of Francis Bacon or Frida Kahlo and the sculptures of Marcel Duchamp.

Temporary exhibitions have remained open and Monday was the final day for visitors to see the last such show, a retrospective of the German artist Wolfgang Tillmans, until the center reopens around 2030.

The museum is also due to host a musical and artistic show from Oct. 22-25 to mark a Paris contemporary art week.

The state of Paris's often-crowded cultural attractions has caused concern, with the head of the Louvre warning earlier this year that the world's most-visited museum was suffering from water damage, poor maintenance and long queues.

President Emmanuel Macron visited afterwards to promise that it would be "redesigned, restored and enlarged" with a multi-year overhaul forecast to cost up to 800 million euros ($940 million).

Asbestos removal, accessibility, security and a complete interior redesign are all on the agenda for the major renovations at the Pompidou Center.

Improved climate protection with new waterproofing is also planned, aiming to "reduce energy bills by 40 percent," its president Laurent Le Bon told AFP.

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

The total cost of the renovation is estimated at 460 million euros, of which 280 million will be financed by the French state.

For the rest, "100 million has already been secured and we are hopeful of finding the remaining 80 within the next five years," said Le Bon. Saudi Arabia has chipped in with a 50 million-euro contribution.