Norman Foster's Testamentary Retrospective at Centre Pompidou

The Centre Pompidou in Paris is hosting a monumental retrospective of Norman Foster (born 1935, Stockport), occupying 2,200 square meters in its main gallery—the largest architectural exhibition ever staged at the museum. Curated by Frédéric Migayrou, the show is divided into seven sections but effectively comprises four parts. The first section highlights Foster's hand drawings, asserting his personal authorship over the work of his 1,800-employee firm. The second traces his theoretical roots from Le Corbusier's machine for living to Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion car, positioning Foster as Fuller's heir. The third section presents major projects, from 1970s high-tech works to recent Apple headquarters in Cupertino and Bloomberg in London, alongside infrastructure like the Millau Viaduct and interventions at the Reichstag and British Museum. The final section features two videos: an interview with Foster and a futuristic vision of lunar bases, nuclear energy, and drone-based systems for the developing world. Critic Luigi Prestinenza Puglisi argues the exhibition functions as a self-curated testament, closing a cycle rather than opening one, and questions whether Foster's technological rationalism truly offers a liberating future. The show runs until August 7, 2023.