Paris is getting ready to temporarily bid farewell to one of its groundbreaking cultural landmarks. The Centre Pompidou—an icon of architectural innovation and a treasure trove of modern and contemporary art—will close its doors for renovations from September 2025 to 2030. Scala takes this opportunity to revisit its history, explore its visionary design, and highlight some of the masterpieces that make it an essential destination for art historians and visual curators around the world.
The Centre national d’art et de culture Georges –Pompidou—better known as the Centre Pompidou—was the brainchild of French President Georges Pompidou (1969–1974) , who envisioned a pioneering cultural hub in the heart of Paris. In 1971, an international design competition crowned an unexpected trio of winners: Renzo Piano, Gianfranco Franchini and Richard Rogers, then in their early 30s and virtually unknown.
Their radical proposal flipped architectural norms: the building’s structural skeleton, technical systems, and circulation paths—like stairs and elevators—were moved to the exterior, freeing up the interior into open, flexible space. The result was bold, colorful, and disruptive.
Completed in 1977, the building initially drew sharp criticism, earning nicknames such as “oil refinery” or “cultural factory.” Over time, however, it became one of the 20th century’s most iconic architectural achievements, foreshadowing key themes like modularity, transparency, and adaptable museum spaces.
Placing the Centre Pompidou in the historic Marais district (4th arrondissement) was a symbolic and urban turning point. Before the museum opened, the area was run-down and largely neglected. The arrival of the cultural center sparked a major urban renewal, transforming Place Georges-Pompidou into a vibrant space for gathering, experimentation, and public performance.
The Pompidou didn’t just disrupt the architectural landscape—it redefined what a cultural center could be. Blending the library, museum, research institute, and performance space, it became a catalyst for contemporary life in a historic setting. Today, it is a defining feature of Paris’s visual identity, a landmark that speaks to both the city and its global audience.
Home to the Musée National d’Art Moderne, the Centre Pompidou houses Europe’s largest collection of modern and contemporary art, with over 100,000 works. The museum spans every major movement from 1905 to the present: Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, Dada, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Arte Povera, Pop Art, and newer forms like video art and installation—amplified by blockbuster rotating exhibitions.
In this gallery you can see the building withinin the urban fabric.
A cornerstone of Western abstract art, this piece reflects Kandinsky’s belief in art as a universal language that evokes emotion through pure visual elements—no figurative representation needed.
The legendary ready-made that challenged the very definition of art. The urinal signed “R. Mutt” by Duchamp sparked debates about authorship, intention, and the role of the artist.
A canvas by Matisse that blends decorative elegance and simplicity, inspired by folk motifs and celebrating the purity of form and the vibrancy of color.
A kinetic, ironic sculpture—an art object that moves, wears itself down, and even self-destructs. This Tinguely‘s opera part of a postwar avant-garde dialogue between creativity and technology.
One of Kahlo’s first works to enter a major international museum collection, marking her global recognition. The piece highlights the fusion of personal identity and Mexican folk culture.
The Centre Pompidou’s temporary closure will make way for a full-scale renovation aimed at upgrading infrastructure, improving accessibility, and reimagining exhibition spaces. While the museum is closed, highlights from the collection will tour in France and abroad—extending its reach and deepening its dialogue with the public.
But the Centre Pompidou is more than a museum—it is a living, evolving cultural organism. This closure isn’t an end; it’s a relaunch. For image professionals and art scholars alike, it is a unique opportunity to reflect on the role of visual archives, the preservation of contemporary culture, and how we continue to tell the story of modernity.
Scala Archives is the official and exclusive partner of RMN – Réunion des Musées Nationaux for users based Italy and the UK. Even during the Centre Pompidou’s closure, all images of artworks and collections housed at the museum will remain available for licensing and reproduction—ideal for creatives, designers, picture editors, and researchers looking to work with one of Europe’s most extraordinary archives of modern and contemporary art.
Contact us for more information.
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In the cover: Exterior of the Pompidou Centre, Paris, France – SP28026
