France's renowned Pompidou Centre shuts for 5-year refit | International

PARIS, Sept 22, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - 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 multicoloured 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...