The Center Pompidou is expanding again, this time in South Korea. In an announcement today, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Paris confirmed rumors that it would open a branch in Seoul, bolstering its burgeoning network of outposts, which includes locations in Metz in northern France, Shanghai and Malaga. The museum also announced earlier this month that it open a branch in Saudi Arabia.
On March 19, the Center Pompidou and the Hanwha Culture Foundation signed a partnership agreement in Paris. Hanwha, a large conglomerate with interests in finance and retail, will pay “rental and other fees as agreed under the terms”, according to the Korea News Agency. Yonhap News.
The agreement was signed by Shin Hyunwoo, the president of the Hanwha Culture Foundation and Laurent Le Bon, the president of the Center Pompidou. The museum, located in Tower 63, headquarters of the Hanwha Group, will be designed by French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte and is expected to open in 2025.
“During this four-year collaboration, the Center Pompidou will offer eight monographic exhibitions – two per year – based on a selection of works from the Center Pompidou collection,” a statement read.
Meanwhile, Pompidou is preparing to open a satellite branch in the northwest region of AlUla in Saudi Arabia. The new agreement between the museum and the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) – the Saudi government’s cultural body headed by the country’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – was finalized at a signing ceremony in which also attended the French Minister of Culture, Rima Abdoul Malak.
