Hanwha Partners With Centre Pompidou to Showcase Modern and Contemporary Art in South Korea

Hanwha Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Centre Pompidou, a world-renowned modern and contemporary art museum, to open a branch in Seoul, South Korea.

The signing ceremony for the establishment and operation of the Centre Pompidou Hanwha Seoul (tentatively named) took place on March 19 at the Centre Pompidou, located in Paris, France, with Hyun Woo Shin, Chairperson of the Hanwha Foundation of Culture and Laurent Le Bon, President of the Centre Pompidou, in attendance.

Through this partnership, Hanwha is set to open an art exhibition space in 63 SQUARE, one of South Korea's tallest and most well-known skyscrapers located in Seoul, in 2025. Hanwha is guaranteed the right to operate the Centre Pompidou in South Korea for four years.

Hanwha will present two exhibitions annually featuring masterpieces by acclaimed artists from the Centre Pompidou’s collection. In addition, Hanwha also plans to hold original, standalone exhibitions twice a year that align with the modern and innovative image of the Centre Pompidou. As part of its mission to nurture the artistic talent of future generations, Hanwha will also establish a children’s art museum within the Centre Pompidou Hanwha Seoul to serve as an educational space where young visitors can explore and engage with art.

Hanwha will begin construction on the museum this year to complete the space in the first half of 2025. Internationally recognized architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, known for his role in the interior design of the Louvre Museum, the British Museum and Incheon International Airport, will be participating in the new branch's design. The remodel will transform 63 SQUARE into a new landmark building at the forefront of South Korea's arts and cultural scene. The renovated space will span five floors and include multiple exhibition areas, along with a range of new facilities and programs.

The Centre Pompidou in Paris is a famous cultural complex that includes not only an art museum but also a concert hall, theater, library, bookstore and café. The Centre’s art museum is one of the most well-known in France, along with the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay, and has one of the world’s largest collections of modern and contemporary art. The number of annual visitors exceeded 3 million prior to 2020.

Established in 1905, the Centre Pompidou is home to around 120,000 historically significant works of art. The main collection brings together pieces from world-renowned modern artists like Chagall, Matisse, Kandinsky and Picasso, and contemporary artists like Francis Bacon, Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol. The Centre also houses prints and negatives that showcase the history of photography in the 20th century. Through overseas partnerships, the Centre Pompidou has established exhibition halls in multiple locations, including Malaga, Spain in 2015 and Shanghai, China in 2019.

South Korea's thriving art scene, particularly among its younger generations, is drawing global attention from the international art community. With this latest expansion, the Centre Pompidou has identified South Korea as having the potential to be one of Asia's strongest emerging art markets. The Centre Pompidou has committed to collaborating closely with Hanwha to ensure that their shared values of creativity and innovation can advance the growth and development of the Korean art community.

As part of Hanwha’s plan to establish a hub for arts and culture in South Korea, the Hanwha Foundation of Culture will operate the Centre Pompidou Hanwha Seoul. Hanwha now stands poised to strengthen its leadership in arts and culture by building upon its longstanding patronage of classical music with an expansion of its work in the field of art. In addition to its partnership with the Centre Pompidou, Hanwha is planning a number of projects to foster the domestic art scene, including the development of a program to support overseas residencies for up-and-coming artists and curators.

“Through this partnership with the Centre Pompidou, Hanwha will hold world-class exhibitions with globally-recognized masterpieces and other contemporary works of art that are ahead of the trend in Korea and contribute to the sustainable development of arts and culture by discovering and supporting rising artists,” said Hyun Woo Shin, Chairperson of the Hanwha Foundation of Culture. “Through such efforts, we will strive to transform the Centre Pompidou Hanwha Seoul into a new arts and cultural landmark that inspires the next generation.”