François Pinault's Bourse de Commerce museum in Paris sets January 2021 opening after pandemic delay

François Pinault's Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection will open to the public on 23 January 2021, marking the French collector's third and largest exhibition venue. The project, originally scheduled for 2020, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Japanese architect Tadao Ando renovated the former grain and stock exchange building, having previously collaborated with Pinault at Venice's Palazzo Grassi. Pinault secured a 50-year lease on the city-owned property for $15 million, with total project costs reaching $170 million. The venue offers 3,000 square meters of exhibition space, a 300-seat auditorium, and a black-box theater. It will showcase works from Pinault's 5,000-piece collection alongside significant loans. In a press release, Pinault expressed delight that the museum would enhance Europe's contemporary art institutions and contribute to Paris's cultural revival after 2020's challenges. The Bourse de Commerce joins Pinault's existing Venetian venues, Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana, following an earlier failed attempt to establish a museum on Paris's Île Seguin in the mid-2000s. The project was launched in 2017, transforming the historic building into a major cultural destination.