Xavier Rey Appointed Director of Centre Pompidou, Succeeding Bernard Blistène

Xavier Rey will assume leadership of the Centre Pompidou in October, moving from his current position as director of the Musées de Marseille. His appointment follows Bernard Blistène's recent departure. Laurent Le Bon, the Pompidou's newly-appointed president, praised Rey's dynamism, goodwill, and managerial skills as essential for the institution's future projects. Before leading the Musées de Marseille, Rey served as director of collections at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. His tenure at the Pompidou will oversee a major four-year renovation requiring the museum's temporary closure. Last month, controversy emerged at the Centre Pompidou's Brussels satellite, Kanal-Centre Pompidou, when its board attempted to overturn Kasia Redzisz's appointment as artistic director by an independent jury, insisting she share the role with Blistène. Following backlash, the board reversed its decision, confirming Redzisz as artistic director while Blistène will take on an unspecified role.