Centre Pompidou Hanwha opens in Seoul amid controversy over military ties and cultural dependency fears
The Centre Pompidou Hanwha, a new museum set to launch in Seoul on 4 June 2026, will be the Pompidou's second location in Asia, following the West Bund Museum in Shanghai, which opened in 2019. This collaboration with the Hanwha Foundation will feature two exhibitions each year from the Pompidou collection. The first exhibition, titled "The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision," showcases over 90 pieces from 40 artists, including notable female Cubists such as Sonia Delaunay, and runs until 4 October. Located in Hanwha Group's 63 Building, the museum spans 11,000 sq. m with dedicated halls for early 20th-century European art and contemporary global art. French President Emmanuel Macron visited on 3 April, amidst protests regarding Hanwha's military connections during a preview on 19 May. Additionally, Busan has signed a memorandum of understanding for a branch set to open in 2031.
Key facts
- Centre Pompidou Hanwha opens to the public on 4 June 2026 in Seoul.
- It is the Pompidou's second Asian branch after Shanghai's West Bund Museum (2019).
- The museum is a four-year partnership between Hanwha Foundation of Culture and Centre Pompidou.
- Inaugural exhibition 'The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision' runs until 4 October 2026.
- The museum occupies 11,000 sq. m over four floors of Hanwha Group's 63 Building.
- French President Emmanuel Macron toured the museum on 3 April 2026.
- Hanwha Group has ties to Israeli defense firms Elta Systems and Elbit Systems.
- Protests at the 19 May preview opposed 'genocide artwashing' related to Hanwha's military industry.
Entities
Artists
- Sonia Delaunay
- Natalia Goncharova
- Suzanne Duchamp
- María Blanchard
- Kim Whanki
- Yoo Youngkuk
- Chung Joonmo
- Jean-Michel Wilmotte
- Laurent Le Bon
- Christian Briend
- Sungsoo Lee
- SuhYoung Yun
- Harry D. Som
- Helen W. Som
- Renzo Piano
- Richard Rogers
- Moreau Kusunoki
- Frida Escobedo
- Javier Pérez de la Fuente
- Juan Antonio Marín Malavé
- David Chipperfield
- Lina Ghotmeh
Institutions
- Centre Pompidou
- Hanwha Foundation of Culture
- Hanwha Group
- West Bund Museum
- M+
- National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
- Victoria & Albert Museum
- Elta Systems
- Elbit Systems
- Hanwha Aerospace
- Artists Solidarity Against Censorship
- The Art Newspaper
- Youngmin International Artist Residency Grant
- Space ZeroOne
- Ahn Graphics
- Embassy of Switzerland in Seoul
- Centre Pompidou Hanwha
- Hanwha Cultural Foundation
- Wilmotte & Associés
- OMA
- AN
Locations
- Seoul
- South Korea
- Shanghai
- China
- Hong Kong
- Paris
- France
- Busan
- Igidae Park
- Dongjak district
- New York
- United States
- Israel
- Iran
- Lebanon
- Yeouido
- Han River
- Switzerland
- Yeouido Island
- 4th arrondissement
- Málaga
- Spain
- Brussels
- Belgium
- Saudi Arabia
- Jersey City
- New Jersey