The Centre Pompidou in Paris, designed by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, is seen in 2024. (Sergio Grazia/Centre Pompidou) Centre Pompidou is undergoing a major transformation ahead of its 2030 reopening.In the meantime, the renowned French institution has increasingly looked beyond France for international partners, with Seoul emerging as one of the most significant.“The choice of Seoul as a partner city is no coincidence,” Centre Pompidou President Laurent Le Bon said in a recent written interview with The Korea Herald, citing the rapid growth of Korea’s cultural landscape and its increasing global influence.As part of the French museum’s “Constellation” project launched in 2025, Centre Pompidou Hanwha officially opened on June 4 in Yeouido, Seoul, through a partnership with Hanwha Foundation of Culture. The space occupies the former site of Korea’s first aquarium in the landmark 63 Building. Centre Pompidou Hanwha in Seoul (Centre Pompidou Hanwha) “The Republic of Korea, and Seoul in particular, has seen its museum and cultural offerings grow and diversify significantly over the past decade, and the global influence of Korean culture continues to flourish worldwide,” Le Bon said, referring to South Korea by its official name.He also highlighted Centre Pompidou’s longstanding ties with Korea, noting that one of the earliest installations presented in the museum’s emblematic Forum space was devoted to pioneering video artist Nam June Paik in 1978.The French museum closed its iconic building for renovation in 2025, nearly 50 years after it first opened, marking one of the most significant transitions in its history. Centre Pompidou President Laurent Le Bon poses for a photo. (Didier Plowy/Centre Pompidou) The renovation project includes asbestos removal, energy-efficiency upgrades and improved accessibility. But according to Le Bon, the transformation goes far beyond a technical overhaul.“It aims to recapture the visionary momentum of 1977 and ensure that the institution is more capable than ever of taking up the challenges of the 21st century,” he said.When the Paris building reopens in 2030, it will be accompanied by "Centre Pompidou Francilien — Fabrique de l’Art" in Massy, a new conservation and storage hub located about 30 minutes from central Paris.Housing more than 150,000 works from the museum’s collection, the facility will also host exhibitions and public programs throughout the year, according to the president.Asked about suggestions that Centre Pompidou’s growing international network is partly driven by financial pressures associated with the renovation project, Le Bon acknowledged that international collaborations provide “very important financial support” for the institution.Le Bon, however, rejected the notion that the museum is simply exporting a Paris model abroad.“This project is not only about making our modern collection accessible to Korean publics, but also — and perhaps most importantly — about embarking on a journey of shared dialogue, research and programming,” he said. "The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision" at Centre Pompidou Hanwha in Seoul (Centre Pompidou Hanwha) For its inaugural presentation, Centre Pompidou Hanwha paired “The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision” with “Korea Focus: Dream Maps Towards Modernity,” placing works from the Pompidou collection alongside Korean artists and exploring how Korean modern art can be situated within the broader context of global art history.“This is a unique model that we are very proud of. Nothing is copied and pasted from Paris. Rather, each international location or exhibition is unique and tailor-made to the environment and stakeholders," he said.Centre Pompidou’s operating budget totaled 183.2 million euros ($213 million) in 2025, with public funding accounting for 71 percent and the remaining 29 percent generated through fundraising and ticket sales, according to the museum.Centre Pompidou Hanwha follows the openings of Centre Pompidou Malaga in Spain in 2015 and Centre Pompidou Shanghai in China in 2019. It will be joined later this year by KANAL-Centre Pompidou in Brussels, Belgium, as the museum continues to expand its international presence through long-term partnerships. Centre Pompidou Hanwha in Seoul (Centre Pompidou Hanwha) Another potential Centre Pompidou project in Korea has been under discussion in Busan since the French institution signed a memorandum of understanding with the city in 2024.The proposal has drawn both anticipation and criticism locally, with some questioning its feasibility and others raising concerns over the use of public funds.Asked about the project's progress, however, Le Bon declined to elaborate on the plan, saying that Centre Pompidou is currently “100 percent focused on Seoul.”“Fifty years ago, Centre Pompidou was born from a revolutionary vision: to create a place that defied the codes of traditional museums, where art and culture could engage in dialogue with society, the city, and the world. Our building was also a manifesto.“This living, open, and avant-gardist spirit is something that we are very proud to contribute to our locations abroad, and Centre Pompidou Hanwha is no exception,” Le Bon said.