Seoul's cultural landscape has been significantly enriched with the inauguration of Centre Pompidou Hanwha, a new institution forged through a four-year collaboration between the esteemed French Centre Pompidou and the Hanwha Foundation of Culture. Situated within the renovated annex of the iconic 63 Building in Yeouido, this museum represents a major step in fostering international artistic dialogue. It promises to become a vital nexus for modern and contemporary art, offering a dynamic platform for cultural exchange between Korea, France, and the global art community.
The museum's opening marks a new chapter in Seoul's artistic endeavors, providing a unique space where diverse audiences can engage with groundbreaking art. The thoughtfully curated programs, drawn from the extensive Pompidou collection and complemented by local and international artistic expressions, will ensure a rich and varied experience for visitors. This initiative not only expands the global presence of Centre Pompidou but also firmly establishes Seoul as a key player in the international art scene, reinforcing its position as a vibrant cultural capital.
Architectural Transformation and Cultural Integration
The establishment of Centre Pompidou Hanwha involved a profound architectural transformation of the former aquarium annex of the 63 Building. Designed by the renowned Jean-Michel Wilmotte, the space has been reimagined as a luminous, four-story 'box of light.' This architectural marvel introduces over 3,000 square meters of new exhibition areas to Seoul, designed to host a wide array of modern and contemporary art programs. Wilmotte's design skillfully integrates the museum into the urban fabric, creating a striking visual presence that both illuminates the city at night and draws natural light into the galleries during the day.
Wilmotte's intervention features a translucent double-glazed facade that subtly nods to the graceful curvature of traditional Korean roof tiles, while a horizontal light band provides a visual counterpoint to the towering verticality of the adjacent structures. The renovation has created two main exhibition halls, each approximately 1,600 square meters, alongside dedicated educational and public interaction zones. These spaces are specifically designed to seamlessly connect the daily life of the city with the world of contemporary art, making high culture accessible and engaging for everyone. This integration extends Centre Pompidou’s international strategy, adapting its curatorial approach to the unique Korean context through joint research, interpretation, and educational initiatives.
Launching Exhibition and Future Programs
Centre Pompidou Hanwha will debut its public programming on June 4th, 2026, with its inaugural exhibition, 'The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision.' This comprehensive exhibition will present over 90 works by more than 40 artists from the Pompidou collection, tracing the genesis and evolution of Cubism in Paris between 1907 and 1927. Structured into eight thematic sections, the exhibition will explore how Cubism revolutionized twentieth-century visual culture through its innovative approach to fragmenting and reassembling perspective, space, and representation. Key artists featured include Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Juan Gris, Fernand Léger, and Sonia Delaunay, alongside less commonly seen figures in Korea such as Albert Gleizes, Amédée Ozenfant, and Natalia Goncharova, with a notable highlight being the Korean premiere of a large-scale stage curtain by Pablo Picasso.
A unique section titled 'KOREA FOCUS' will contextualize Cubism within the development of Korean modernity. This section will feature paintings, archival materials, media installations, and specially commissioned video works, illustrating how avant-garde ideas from Paris influenced Korean visual art, literature, dance, and music starting in the 1920s. By doing so, it transcends the typical European-centric view of Cubism, examining its experimental modes of perception as they were assimilated and transformed within Korea's rich cultural history. Over the next four years, the institution plans to host two major exhibitions annually, drawing from the extensive Pompidou collection, complemented by additional showcases focusing on contemporary Korean and international artistic creations.