Centre Pompidou-Metz

The Centre Pompidou-Metz is the first decentralized branch of the French national cultural institution, the Centre Pompidou. The institution defines itself as ‘a vast centre for information, exhibition, research and initiatives that brings together various realms of contemporary creation’, to quote the still topical description offered in the original presentation of the Centre Pompidou. The Centre Pompidou- Metz is a chimera – a crossbreed between the spirit of a museum (without a permanent collection) and that of a centre for contemporary art with a temporary exhibitions program.

The Centre Pompidou-Metz is designed by Shigeru Ban Architects from Japan, and Jean de Gastines Architects of France (together with Gumuchdjian Architects of England for the competition phase). With a total surface of 10,700 m2 – 5,000 of which are entirely devoted to exhibition purposes – the Centre Pompidou-Metz takes the shape of a large modular structure. Three 80 metre-long rectangular tube-shaped galleries positioned above the Grande Nef, a unique space in Europe comprising a 21 metre-high exhibition wall, host the Centre’s temporary exhibitions. The Centre Pompidou-Metz furthermore boasts a Studio especially conceived for the performing arts and an Auditorium for public programming, film and video screenings.

This new French institution reaches out to wide audiences with an ambitious program of temporary exhibitions and events that share the Centre Pompidou’s values – innovation, accessibility and cross-disciplinarity. One of the Centre Pompidou-Metz’s main assets is its preferential access to the Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne, Europe’s largest collection of modern and contemporary art of almost 65,000 works.

Located in the heart of a ‘Euregion’ (Luxembourg – Germany – Belgium – near Switzerland and the Netherlands); its exhibition programme is therefore devised to liaise with and complement important cultural projects in neighbouring regions.

Its cultural mission is to reach out wide audiences with an ambitious programme of exhibitions and events. In conjunction with its exhibitions program, the museum offers a wide range of events (performing arts, cinema, youth workshops, public programming) that expand the field of investigation around the topics proposed in the exhibitions.

The Centre Pompidou-Metz exhibition program carries out extensive, cross-disciplinary, thematic exhibitions that offer a rereading of art history since 1905, and bring together specially commissioned works. Monographic exhibitions are also a core part of the program, focusing on major artists whose work has rarely been shown in a comprehensive setting in France, or on young artists who are given their first opportunity to confront a large museum space.

Most outstanding project before the opening:

Constellation, 2009, a sneak preview event of the Centre Pompidou-Metz unfolding over a period of five months, with 55 events in Metz and in the Greater Region, 19 exhibition venues in mostly public sites.

Most outstanding projects in the inaugural year:

The opening exhibition, Masterpieces?, 2010 -2011, considered the notion of masterpiece, past, present and future. Is this notion still relevant today? Once a masterpiece, always a masterpiece? Masterpieces? unfolds over 5,000 sq. m. of exhibition space, presenting 800 works, of which more than 700 were chosen from the collections of the Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne in Paris.

The cultural program gathers performing arts projects in various series. Launched in Fall 2010: Walkthrough: artistic interventions that occur in the exhibition galleries (Cie Des Prairies, Prinz Gholam). Crossover: where performing arts disciplines merge into hybrid forms (William Kentridge, François Sarhan, Sarah Vanhee). Repertoire: Appropriations of 20th Century dance masterpieces by contemporary choreographers (Roger Bernat, Olga de Soto, Xavier Leroy, Jérôme Bel).

The Centre Pompidou-Metz’s diverse and complementary approach to public programming offers public interventions by artists working in the visual arts, performing arts, design, architecture, art historians, and cultural producers. Drawing together scholars from local and neighbouring European academies, the Centre Pompidou-Metz’s public program activates the entire museum, from the auditorium to its various exhibition spaces.

The institution’s public programme explores frameworks from conversations and academic lectures, to giving ‘carte blanche’ to artists for discursive projects. Artists are invited to conversation series to discuss their work and process, to develop experimental discursive projects, and to present selections of their inspirational source materials, such as films.

Art history initiation courses offer presentations by acclaimed art historians of the major movements in modern and contemporary art. Other sessions offer a focused commentaries by art historians on selected artworks to reveal multi-layered understandings. Symposiums offer comprehensive understandings of the topics relating to exhibitions and wider issues in visual culture.

The education program of Centre Pompidou-Metz is focused on its young public audience.

Workshops for children (aged 5 to 11) and teenagers (aged 12 to 18) are designed to familiarise them with modern and contemporary art by combining creative work, didactic activities, and encounters with artists. New workshops are offered every two months and are lead by a specialized team. The program is completed by Family Days; workshops that bring children and parents together through intergenerational cultural activities. Performing arts events for young public are also offered.

Exhibition spaces of 5,020 m2, comprising: Great Nave, or high-ceiling area, 1,200 m2 / Galleries, three adjustable spaces of 1,150 m2  3,450 m2 /  studio, for exhibitions and live shows (movable terraced seating of 196 seats)  370 m2 / options for exhibiting works in the Forum, on the roof of the galleries (840 m2), on the restaurant terrace (290m2) and in the gardens.

Spaces open to the public total 1 940 m2, comprising: The Forum, with reception/information, ticket office, cloakrooms and toilets  870 m2 / auditorium with 144 seats, for conferences and films, 165 m2 / three conference halls  180 m2 / café 70 m2 / restaurant  240 m2 / bookshop  105 m2 / two educational workshops  80 m2 / Here and There (documentation centre) 115 m2 / north garden (public space) 15, 810 m2 / south garden (attached to the Centre Pompidou-Metz),  2,715 m2.