Modern art's temple in Paris shuts for half a decade

Paris's Pompidou Centre, which houses one of the world's most significant modern art collections in one of the most celebrated modern buildings on the planet, is to shut to visitors on Monday for a major five-year overhaul estimated to cost almost half a billion euros.

The museum, famed for its multi-coloured exterior and exposed piping and escalators, draws millions of visitors every year to admire the architecture as much as the art. Designed by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers as an open space for all, and named after former president Georges Pompidou, who died in office in 1974, the centre opened its doors in 1977.

Its permanent collection closed for visitors back in March, when specialists began to remove works from display, including paintings by the likes of Francis Bacon or Frida Kahlo and the sculptures of Marcel Duchamp.

Temporary exhibitions have remained open and Monday will be the final day for visitors to see the last such show, a retrospective of the German artist Wolfgang Tillmans, until the centre reopens around 2030.

The state of Paris's often-crowded cultural attractions has caused concern, with the head of the Louvre warning earlier this year that the world's most-visited museum was suffering from water damage, poor maintenance and long queues.

President Emmanuel Macron visited afterwards to promise that it would be "redesigned, restored and enlarged" with a multi-year overhaul forecast to cost up to 800 million euros ($940 million). Asbestos removal, accessibility, security and a complete interior redesign are all on the agenda for the major renovations at the Pompidou Centre.

Improved climate protection with new waterproofing is also planned, aiming to "reduce energy bills by 40%," its president Laurent Le Bon told AFP. "We're keeping the exterior framework, but from the basement to the top floor, we're changing everything," he said.