Paris's Pompidou Center: A 5-Year Renovation Adventure!
Say Au Revoir (For Now!) to This Iconic Landmark
Get ready for a change! The Centre Pompidou, a Parisian icon known for its distinctive architecture and incredible modern art collection, is closing its doors for a whopping 5 years for major renovations, including asbestos removal! (As reported by F2 news on March 19th.)
Packing Up a Treasure Trove
Behind the scenes, the center's staff has been hard at work since March 12th, carefully packing away its priceless holdings. This is no ordinary move – it's a delicate operation where every second counts! Even handling a small painting, a Dada masterpiece, requires the utmost care.
"These are works of art, after all, so we have to be extremely careful," explains a staff member.
A Mission of Massive Proportions
The exhibition halls are currently buzzing with activity, not from visitors, but from movers! Their mission: to carefully pack and relocate over 120,000 works of art into custom-designed transport boxes.
- Precision is Key: "We measure the size of each piece and prepare custom protective materials to prevent damage from vibration, heat, or impact."
- Dealing with Giants: "Some pieces are small and fragile, while others are enormous paintings that are a struggle to remove from the wall."
- Handling Masterpieces: "This magnificent work by Fernand Léger is 4 meters high and 4.8 meters wide. In this case, it can only be transported rolled up. We have specialist staff who remove it from its frame, and art restorers who specialize in rolled canvases come to pack it up."
The Renovation Roadmap
The entire building must be emptied within six months! Renovation work is set to begin in 2026, with plans to revamp the entrance, restaurant areas, and exhibition spaces, as well as tackling that essential asbestos removal. The total cost? A cool €450 million!
A Silver Lining: Spreading the Art!
While a 5-year closure might seem daunting, the museum sees it as an opportunity to share its collection with a wider audience!
"We are selecting new exhibition venues. For example, in April, we will hold a large-scale exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection. Between now and 2030, the Centre Pompidou's collection will be on the move! Some pieces will be moved to storage, while others will be loaned to museums both domestically and internationally. In late 2026, the Centre Pompidou Francilien, a new permanent venue, will open in Massy, near Paris."
Parisian Perspectives
The Pompidou Center is currently closed. Here's what some locals are saying:
- "It's a bit sad to see it close, but Paris has plenty of other museums and great exhibitions!"
- "Notre Dame has reopened, and this renovation of the Pompidou Center is exactly the kind of maintenance that France excels at!"
A Temporary Goodbye
This iconic building, home to world-renowned artworks and one of France's largest public libraries, typically welcomes 4 million visitors annually. They will surely miss it! See you again after the renovations.
(Report from F2 news, March 19th.)
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