The Centre Pompidou Hanwha Seoul, designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, is one of the new venues marking the international expansion of the Centre Pompidou, a result of a collaboration agreement with the Hanwha Foundation. For four years, two solo exhibitions will be presented annually, featuring works from the collection of the National Museum of Modern Art in Paris.
This exhibition space, spanning over 11,000 square meters, will be located in the iconic Yeouido Building 63 in Seoul's financial district, a city that has experienced significant growth and diversification in its museum and cultural offerings over the past decade.
Centre Pompidou Hanwha by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Image courtesy of Wilmotte & Associés SA.
As part of this unique collaboration, and coinciding with the renovation of the historic Centre Pompidou building in Paris, a series of eight monographic and thematic exhibitions based on the modern art collections of the Centre Pompidou's National Museum of Modern Art will be presented in a space dedicated to the French institution, covering almost 1,500 square meters. Simultaneously, the museum will host a series of contemporary art exhibitions, highlighting Korean artists and connecting major narratives in art history with the country's cultural context.
An architecture of light in the heart of Seoul. The building rises four stories and includes two spacious exhibition galleries, each approximately 1,500 square meters in area. It is the result of the comprehensive transformation of the former annex of Building 63, a project commissioned to French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who also designed Incheon International Airport.
Centre Pompidou Hanwha by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Image courtesy of Wilmotte & Associés SA.
The pre-existing structure, which formerly housed an aquarium, has been reimagined as a true "light box." This design allows natural light to flood the interior during the day, while at night, the interior light diffuses outwards, illuminating the city. Outside, a horizontal band of light interacts with the verticality of Building 63. The translucent, double-glazed envelope evokes the curves of traditional Korean tiles.
The inaugural exhibition, "The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision," opening on June 4, 2026, draws from the Centre Pompidou's collection and occupies the museum's two main galleries, encompassing more than 3,000 square meters of exhibition space.
