When it opened its doors in 1977, some considered it an aberration; others did see something innovative in that mass of steel and glass, with colored tubes and industrial air, which rose in the middle of a Paris of decadent buildings. Almost half a century later, the Centre Pompidou is one of the most important modern art museums in the world and one of the most visited artistic centers in Paris, along with the Louvre and the D'Orsay. In two years it will close its doors for the first time since its opening to undergo renovation works that will last five and that aim to ensure the survival of the building, and also modernize it.

For five years Paris will be orphaned of one of its most emblematic buildings. "The Centre Pompidou, which was built in the 1970s by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, has always received a lot of criticism for its avant-garde look. It underwent some cleaning work at the end of the 90s, but the renovation works that are going to be carried out now are much more important," explains Laetitia Levantis, art historian, consultant and member of the Telemme research center (Aix-Marseille University).

It was called the Georges Pompidou cultural center, the name of the president who promoted the project and ordered it to be built, although he died in 1974 and did not inaugurate it. The works began in 1970, under his mandate, and was inaugurated seven years later. It has never been renovated and has become obsolete. In this time it has received about 300 million visitors. The wear and corrosion suffered by the building made the work necessary. These will last five years. There were seven to build it, but the works suffered a halt when Pompidou died.

"What is going to be done mainly are works of modernization and removal of asbestos from the façade. In addition, the museum is plagued by corrosion, and requires a comprehensive modernization of its structure: work will be done on fire safety, access for people with reduced mobility and energy optimization," says the French expert.

The Pompidou is a historical monument, a testimony of the modern architecture of the 70s

Laetitia Levantis, historian

"18 months ago a consultation process began with the teams of the Pompidou Center, the Public Information Library (Bpi) and the Institute for Acoustic Research and Coordination / Music (Ircam), which has led to a new cultural project that requalifies the set of spaces of the Pompidou Center to respond to cultural, social and environmental needs for the coming years", indicates the direction of the Museum in the project dossier.

The works were announced in 2021, they were going to be done from 2023 to 2027, the year of the 50th anniversary. As the Olympics are in 2024, it will finally wait for them to end. That year, in addition, the Notre Dame cathedral will reopen, which has been under construction for years after the fire of 2019. The gradual closure of the Pompidou will begin just that year. In 2025 it will be completely closed to the public, in 2026 work will begin and the center will finally reopen in 2030. In the reopening, the museum "will be entirely reinvented, but the spaces will maintain the same layout in the building," according to the project.

The challenge of reforming a museum of these characteristics is enormous. "There were two options on the table: one was to restore the Center by keeping it open, and the other was total closure. We opted for the second, because it lasted less and was less expensive. Carrying out these works in stages keeping the center open and with access to the public would have prolonged the project up to seven years," explained the then French Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelote, when she announced the works two years ago.

Carrying out these works while keeping the center open would have extended the project up to seven years.

Roselyne Bachelote, Minister of Culture

In addition to improving safety and removing asbestos from the façade, it was necessary to modernize a building that now competes with other recently created art centers, much newer and more sophisticated. This is the case of the Louis Vuitton Foundation, which opened in 2014 and whose building was designed by architect Franl Gehry, or the Pinault Foundation, which is on the former Paris Stock Exchange and opened its doors in 2021.

"The Pompidou is a historical monument, a testimony of the modern architecture of the 70s, it is one of the most important centers of modern and contemporary art in the world and its collections cover the history of art and the main artistic manifestations and movements of the twentieth century. I think this is its main difference with the new museums (Louis Vuitton or Pinault Foundation), which house more contemporary collections or highlight internationally renowned artists of today," says Laetitia Levantis.

The other main Parisian museums have undergone improvement works. The Louvre was renovated in parts in the early 90s. The D'Orsay was also renovated, from 2007 to 2010, with works that cost 2.5 million euros. Square meters were added with new showrooms. In this case the reform was also justified on security grounds. When the old Orsay railway station was transformed into a museum in 1986, the building was reinforced, but environmental pollution had corroded it.

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