In response to the revolt of artists and politicians deploring the complete closure of the museum for five years, the Minister of Culture outlined a solution.
Culture Minister Rachida Dati announced on Monday that some of the works from the Center Pompidou would be exhibited “in nearby galleries” the time of the work, reminding us that it was necessary. “There has to be work”declared the minister on Sud Radio, while artists, politicians and intellectuals call, in a petition published on Saturday, Emmanuel Macron and Rachida Dati not to completely close this establishment, “a serious fault” according to them.
“The work is extremely important”insisted Rachida Dati, explaining that she “met the association of traders but also gallery owners who are around the Center”. “We will have a “mobility of works” program which are exhibited at the Center Pompidou in nearby galleries”she said, specifying that she had made this decision “before the dissolution” announced by the Head of State on the evening of the European elections. She recalled that exhibitions would also be held “at the Grand Palais, in part”.
The museum of modern art, also called Beaubourg and inaugurated almost half a century ago, must close in the summer of 2025 until 2030 for major asbestos removal and renovation work, estimated at 260 million euros financed by the State. Apart from the Grand Palais, the works must also be hosted at the Louvre or in other Parisian museums (Orsay, Orangerie, Jeu de Paume, Guimet, Quai Branly….), at the Center Pompidou in Metz, in Martinique and in Guadeloupe , as well as abroad. These jobs “can and should be carried out in a fragmented manner, without completely closing the entire site”estimated, in the petition, Daniel Buren, Julie Gayet, Catherine Millet, Alain Minc, Jacques Toubon and Manuel Valls, among other personalities.
