Centre Pompidou to lend collection to French museums during renovation

The Centre Pompidou in Paris, which houses Europe's largest modern art collection, will close for renovation in 2023 and reopen in 2027, its 50th anniversary. The €200 million refurbishment will not halt public access to its 120,000 works: president Serge Lasvignes told The Art Newspaper that the museum will organize traveling exhibitions hosted by other French institutions. The Centre Pompidou-Metz, an existing satellite, will be among the venues. Lasvignes noted "numerous partnership proposals" are under discussion, aiming for "lasting relationships" with cultural actors. Additionally, a new 22,000-square-meter "art factory" in Massy, near Paris, is set to open, featuring exhibitions, workshops, screenings, and performances with schools and universities. The initiative mirrors the UK's Art Fund Weston Loan Programme, which enables smaller museums to borrow works from major collections. The Pompidou was designed by Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers, and Gianfranco Franchini and opened in 1977.