After three years of anticipation, the Centre Pompidou Hanwha will open in Seoul on June 4, a date that marks the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Korea. The new institution is a joint initiative with the Hanwha Foundation of Culture—the influential philanthropic arm of the Hanwha business conglomerate—and, as the Paris institution described it, the latest star in its “constellation” of international cultural ventures. KANAL – Centre Pompidou in Brussels is set to open shortly after, according to a press release issued this week.
The more imminent Centre Pompidou Hanwha was visited on April 3 by French President Emmanuel Macron, together with the country’s culture minister Catherine Pégard and Laurent Le Bon, the president of the Centre Pompidou. In the summer of 2023, under the auspices of the French Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the trio formalized the Seoul partnership, confirming rumors that its network of outposts, which currently span Metz, France; Málaga, Spain; and Shanghai was once again expanding. This expansion also comes while the Centre Pompidou’s main Paris campus is closed as part of a five-year renovation, set to reopen in 2030.
Per the agreement with the Hanwha Culture Foundation, the forthcoming institution is housed in Tower 63, the headquarters of the Hanwha group, with the French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte tapped for the design.
Korean news outlet Yonhap News reported in 2023 that Hanwha was responsible for “rental and other fees as agreed under the terms.” Hanwha said in a statement at the time that throughout the four year-collaboration Centre Pompidou “will offer eight monographic exhibitions—two per year—based on a selection of works from the Center Pompidou collection.” The deal gives Hanwha permission to use the French museum’s brand for four years, with an opportunity for a contract extension.
Only a week before the Seoul deal was struck, Le Bon finalized a partnership with Saudi Arabia to develop a contemporary art museum in AlUla, an emergent cultural hub in the Kingdom’s northwestern desert region. The Saudi and Seoul branches are expected to bring a much-needed influx of funds for the Centre Pompidou during its five-year closure.
Le Monde, which first reported the expansion rumors, quoted Hanwha as paying €20 million (roughly $23.1 million) to license the Centre Pompidou brand.
Not every Centre Pompidou expansion has come to fruition. This February, the Paris institution formally scrapped its long-planned satellite museum in Jersey City. The project had faced months of pushback from local politicians following a revelation from the mayor that the city had a $255 million deficit. (Last month brought news that the planned site might become affordable housing.)
Speaking to reporters in February, Jersey City mayor James Solomon said, “We will not be doing Pompidou, to be clear. It is dead.”
