From 12 to 16 May 2010
The « Inaugural Days » of The Centre Pompidou-Metz
The Centre Pompidou-Metz invites the public to join in the opening celebrations at its Inaugural Days, from Wednesday 12th to Sunday 16th May, 2010.
During these five free days, visitors will be able to discover the Centre's spectacular architecture and view the inaugural exhibition: Masterpieces?
Numerous highlights are scheduled throughout these five days to celebrate the creation of a new cultural institution in Europe, a reminder of when the Centre Pompidou opened in Paris in 1977.
Daytime and evening events will take place over the weekend of 15th and 16th May. On Saturday 15th May, for example, the Centre Pompidou-Metz will be one of the venues taking part in the 6th Nuit des Musées. The Centre will stay open to the public for the whole of Saturday night through to Sunday, with a special programme of art and festivities.
The inaugural exhibition entitled Masterpieces?
More than six hundred works make up the inaugural exhibition, Masterpieces? They present a panorama of art across the twentieth century, in the different disciplines of the visual arts and creation. Reference is made throughout to the wider historical context of the works.
This exceptional event results from the biggest ever loan of works by the Centre Pompidou. It will fill the Centre-Pompidou Metz's entire gallery space of more than 5,000 square metres.
Masterpieces? looks at the notion of the "masterpiece," a descriptive that is often excluded when addressing 20th and 21st century art. Is this notion still relevant today? Who decides what is a masterpiece and what isn't? Once a masterpiece, always a masterpiece?
THE CENTRE POMPIDOU-METZ
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The first offshoot of a French cultural institution
Centrally located in Europe, in Metz in the Lorraine region of France, the Centre Pompidou-Metz is the first offshoot of a major French cultural institution. Sibling to the Centre Pompidou in Paris, it presents a multi-disciplinary programme engaging all audiences, and looks to the spirit, expertise and values of the Centre Pompidou.
A multi-disciplinary cultural programme
The Centre Pompidou-Metz will host temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, with works drawn from the renowned collection of the Centre Pompidou Museum of Modern Art. With more than 60,000 works, this is Europe's foremost collection of modern art. From the visual arts to architecture, taking in design, dance, theatre and music, every creative field is represented. The Centre-Pompidou Metz will offer an innovative, multi-disciplinary programme that includes dance and theatre, performances, concerts, lectures and films. Workshops for young visitors are a part of the Centre's vocation to appeal to all.
A powerful architectural statement
The Centre Pompidou-Metz, spearhead of the future Amphithéâtre District, a new redevelopment, is one of the cornerstones of the urban, economic, social and touristic expansion of the City of Metz, Greater Metz and the Lorraine Region. It was designed by Shigeru Ban Architects and Jean de Gastines Architectes, with Philip Gumuchdjian Architects for the conception of the awarded project of the international architecture competition. The impressive roof structure of a timber mesh covered with a translucent membrane is both visually elegant and a feat of engineering. Opening up exterior and interior, the gallery spaces unfold around a 77-metre high spire, in reference to the opening of the Centre Pompidou in Paris in 1977.
The different spaces, which cover 10,700 square metres in all, allow for exceptionally diverse programming. The three galleries and the Grande Nef (The Grand Nave) – a unique space in Europe that can accommodate large-format works – will provide 5,000 square metres of exhibition space. The Studio will be reserved for live performances while the Auditorium will host lectures and screenings. A café, restaurant and bookshop/boutique will contribute to making the Centre Pompidou-Metz a living, interactive venue for its public.
The Centre Pompidou-Metz: an Établissement Public de Coopération Culturelle (EPCC)
On 10th November, 2009, Bernard Niquet, Prefect of the Lorraine Region, Jean-Pierre Masseret, President of the Lorraine Region, Philippe Leroy, President of the Moselle Conseil Général, Jean-Luc Bohl, President of Greater Metz, Dominique Gros, Mayor of Metz, and Alain Seban, President of the Centre Pompidou, signed a protocol agreement setting out the statutory, budgetary and regulatory elements of the Centre Pompidou-Metz. The Centre Pompidou-Metz has been granted the status of Établissement Public de Coopération Culturelle (EPCC). This guarantees the Centre's autonomy in its scientific and cultural choices, the support and control of local government which provides funding, and its affiliation with the Centre Pompidou. The founder-members are the French State, the Centre Pompidou, Greater Metz, the City of Metz and the Lorraine Region. Its board of directors is chaired by Alain Seban who is President of the Centre Pompidou.
The Director of the Centre Pompidou-Metz is Laurent Le Bon, Curator-in-Chief of the National Museum of Modern Art and currently Director of the interim body, the Association de Préfiguration du Centre Pompidou-Metz.
Financed through an exemplary partnership
The Centre Pompidou-Metz has an estimated operating budget for its first year of €10 million of which €4.6 million from Greater Metz, €4 million from the Lorraine Region, €400,000 from the City of Metz and €1 million of self-financing. Each year, the Moselle Conseil Général will examine a partnership agreement with the Centre Pompidou-Metz.
The budget for construction comes to €69,300,000 excl. VAT and breaks down as follows:
· Building work: €51,000,000 excl. VAT
· Furnishings, fees, miscellaneous expenses: €18,300,000 excl. VAT
Greater Metz, the competent authority for public cultural facilities, is the project client for the Centre Pompidou-Metz, and provides majority financing of €43.3 million. The remaining financing comes from the Lorraine Region (€10 million), the Moselle Conseil Général (€10 million), the French State (€4 million) and the European Union European Regional Development Fund ERDF (€2 million). The land is provided by the City of Metz which finances landscaping of the square and gardens as part of the Amphithéâtre District redevelopment scheme, led by Greater Metz.
Key dates in the creation of the Centre Pompidou-Metz
January 9th 2003
The Centre Pompidou and the City of Metz, in agreement with the Ministry of Culture and Communication, announced the first offshoot of a national cultural institution in France. The Centre Pompidou-Metz would be a sister institution of the Centre Pompidou, developed in partnership with local government.
March 2003
Launch of the international architecture competition.
15th December 2003
Shigeru Ban (Tokyo), Jean de Gastines (Paris) and Philip Gumuchdjian (London) were announced the winners of the international architecture competition.
2006-2009
Construction of the Centre-Pompidou Metz.
June 2006
Opening of La Maison du Projet, designed by the Centre Pompidou-Metz architects Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines. Adjacent to the construction site, this visitor centre provided information on cultural and architectural aspects of the project. It remained open until October 2009.
7th November 2006
Laying of the first stone of the Centre Pompidou-Metz.
15th May – 4th October 2009
Constellation, a prefigurative event for the Centre Pompidou-Metz. Over a period of five months, more than 300,000 people visited 19 exhibition venues in Metz and Lorraine.
10th November 2009
Bernard Niquet, Prefect of the Lorraine Region, Jean-Pierre Masseret, President of the Lorraine Region, Philippe Leroy, President of the Moselle Conseil Général, Jean-Luc Bohl, President of Greater Metz, Dominique Gros, Mayor of Metz, and Alain Seban, President of the Centre Pompidou, signed a protocol agreement setting out the statutory, budgetary and regulatory elements of the Centre Pompidou-Metz, which has been granted the status of Établissement Public de Coopération Culturelle (EPCC).
12th – 16th May 2010
Inaugural Days: five days of free admission and celebration!
