Naked Beaubourg

The Centre Pompidou is preparing for the largest relocation in its history. How is such a colossal undertaking conceived and organized? "Stripping down" Beaubourg means revealing the full scope of the 140,000 artworks housed there, but it also means discovering the people who work daily across every level of this museum, one of the world’s most important institutions for modern and contemporary art, and unique for its interdisciplinary approach. Starting in winter 2024, we will follow the story of their work: emptying and moving the collections from the museum galleries, the Public Information Library (BPI), and the Kandinsky Library; closing the performance halls and cinemas; and clearing out the entire basement level to pave the way for construction to begin in January 2026. The Centre will then close its doors until 2030. A minor societal shift will also unfold within this complex, as more than 2,000 employees, contractors, and service providers adapt to massive changes in organization and art handling.