Incheon City Moves to Attract Pompidou Center Branch, One of Paris's Top 3 Art Museums

Panoramic view of the Pompidou Center in Paris [Provided by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City has embarked on attracting a branch of the world-renowned art museum, the Centre Pompidou in France.

Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, currently on a business trip in Europe, met with Director Laurent Le Bon at the Centre Pompidou located in Paris's 4th arrondissement on the 14th (local time) to request the establishment of a branch in Incheon.

Mayor Yoo emphasized, "Incheon is a representative international city with a world-class airport and port. If the Centre Pompidou expands into Incheon, it will enhance its reputation not only in Korea but throughout Asia."

In response, Director Laurent Le Bon expressed gratitude for the visit of the Incheon delegation and said, "I am pleased to discuss cooperation between Incheon City and the Centre Pompidou."

Incheon City plans to attract a branch of the Centre Pompidou to leap forward as an international cultural and artistic city, with the Incheon Free Economic Zone being considered as the prospective site for the branch.

Interior view of the Pompidou Center [Provided by Incheon City]

The Centre Pompidou is a complex cultural space equipped with a modern and contemporary art museum and a public library, which opened in 1977. It was established as part of the redevelopment project of the Plateau Beaubourg area, initiated by French President Georges Pompidou.

Alongside the Louvre and Orsay, it is considered one of the "three major museums of Paris" and houses approximately 130,000 works created in the 20th century, including modernism, postmodernism, pop art, and installation art. Major collections include Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain," Henri Matisse's "Woman in a Romanian Blouse," and Marc Chagall's "The Bride and Groom of the Eiffel Tower."

Currently, branches of the Centre Pompidou exist in Metz, France; Malaga, Spain; Brussels, Belgium; and Shanghai, China.

Incheon City expects that if the Centre Pompidou branch is secured, it will create synergy with the Incheon Museum Park, which is being developed with the goal of opening in May 2027, thereby enhancing the value of Incheon's urban brand in the cultural and artistic fields.

Mayor Yoo stated, "Attracting a branch of the Centre Pompidou is not merely about securing a platform for exhibiting Western contemporary art, but about building tourism infrastructure that attracts visitors from around the world and maximizing the creation of cultural and industrial value for the city."

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok is shaking hands with Director Laurent Le Bon at the Pompidou Center in Paris, France, on the 14th (local time). [Provided by Incheon City]

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.