Deepening cultural ties
▶ Centre Pompidou’s new Shanghai outpost opens its doors
Previously, if art lovers in China wanted to appreciate the collection at the famous Centre Pompidou, they would have had to fly all the way to France. However, that is no longer the case with the opening of a new Pompidou outpost at the West Bund Museum in Shanghai.
As one of the largest China-France cultural exchange projects in recent years, the Centre Pompidou x West Bund Museum Project seeks to deepen cultural ties between the two countries.
Following French President Emmanuel Macron’s inauguration of the museum on Tuesday, it is set to officially open its doors to the public on Friday.
Situated on the banks of Huangpu River, the project is part of a fiveyear strategic agreement between the Centre Pompidou and the West Bund Museum, in which both parties will co-organize exhibitions, public art events and educational activities and training for museum managerial talents in Shanghai. Meanwhile, three exhibitions on Chinese contemporary art will also be staged at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Following the Picasso – Birth of a Genius exhibition at UCCA Center for Contemporary Art this summer, the project is the latest example of the cooperation actively promoted by the two countries with the goal of fostering exchanges and communication.
Speaking of the collaboration and the choice of venue, Serge Lasvignes, president of the Centre Pompidou, said that China is a huge art market that draws top artists from around the world, and Shanghai, in particular, offers a dynamic cultural scene with its openness. At the heart of this scene is the West Bund area in the Xuhui district, a new cultural corridor transformed from industrial zones.
“Centre Pompidou has always been committed to showcasing the charm and value of the Chinese art scene, and in next five years, we believe that this relationship will be further strengthened, and it will help to generate more dialogues between artists and cultural institutions of the East and West,” Lasvignes said.
Fostering dialogue
The new venue in Shanghai is the renowned Paris museum’s first such outpost outside of Europe and the third abroad after Malaga in 2015 and Brussels in 2018.
What makes the Chinese outpost different from other outposts, according to Lasvignes, is that it will help foster dialogue between the East and West.
Over the next five years, the museum will stage three semi-permanent exhibitions, each for 18 months, and around 10 exhibitions for six months each.
All the exhibitions will be co-curated by both parties and co-presented at the West Bund Museum to showcase selected signature works from the Centre Pompidou’s vast collection of art.
The first semi-permanent exhibition, The Shape of Time-Highlights of the Centre Pompidou Collection Vol. I, brings more than 100 major artworks of masters and legends such as Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp as well as modern Chinese artists.
Additionally, the first themed exhibition, Observations – Highlights of the Centre Pompidou New Media Collection, focuses on the development of new media with a special highlight on Chinese artists’ contributions to this field.
Works on loan
Though lending artworks poses risks for museums as some venerable artworks might be damaged during transport or while on display, the Centre Pompidou seeks to make culture and design accessible to the broadest possible audience.
“Regarding the artwork lease, as mentioned by President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, we hope our collections can be presented in different places in the world. We believe that as artwork, the more places it travels the more value it holds,” Lasvignes told the Global times.
As one of the largest contemporary museums in the world, the Centre Pompidou boasts a rich collection of more than 120,000 works and is a sanctuary for 20th and 21st century art. Currently, 6,000 artworks are on lease, the largest amount for any museum in the world.
The Centre Pompidou also intends to exhibit artworks from more Chinese artists in Paris in the coming years.
The museum has already collected works from prominent Chinese artists such as Zhang Peili, Li Yongbing, Zhang Huan, Ding Yi and Cai Guoqiang, whose works are also being presented at the Shanghai exhibition.
In addition, both parties will also take advantage of the partnership to explore more people-to-people exchanges through public activities, such as organizing visits and training for museum managerial talents on a regular basis.