What does Centre Pompidou represent for you?
Centre Pompidou has always meant a lot to me. In fact, it is even the source of my earliest memories of arts policy. I had followed the debate surrounding its creation and opening with a passionate interest, and went on to become an enthusiastic regular visitor. As a student, I would often go to Centre Pompidou’s public information library, which was the only place of its kind in Paris. I was also marked by a string of major exhibitions, including “Vienna, Birth of a Century” in 1986, “Magicians of the Earth” in 1989, “Confronting History” in 1996, and more recently, the fine Miró and Dada exhibitions. I have devoted the last fifteen years to the cause of arts policy, including at the highest level of government, working with President Jacques Chirac. Over the course of these years, I have had direct responsibility for some very concrete projects, such as the Quai Branly Museum of the Primitive Arts, the Fondation du Patrimoine, and the creation of the Établissement Public de Versailles and France 24. Centre Pompidou is a new challenge, but not one from which I shrink!
How would you describe Centre Pompidou’s mission?
I would say that Centre Pompidou is a constant challenge: a challenge to conformism, to clichéd thinking and to easy options. A challenge symbolised in the architecture of Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, which remains incredibly modern. And, of course, we have a duty to uphold the founding principles set out by Georges Pompidou, which focus on breaking down barriers, and promoting interdisciplinarity and openness to all audiences, especially the working classes and young people. Centre Pompidou’s vocation is as stimulating as they come, placing ultra-contemporary artistic creation at the very core of the burning issues of our time. Centre Pompidou is an extraordinary machine for questioning the age in which we live. I have a deep-held conviction that this type of institution is absolutely essential, in order to give culture its rightful place in our society.
What is your strategic project for Centre Pompidou?
I want to put 21st century art on centre stage, with an emphasis on the French scene, presenting projects aimed at a broad audience and providing a platform for digital artwork. Promoting French art is a fundamental vocation of Centre Pompidou. It is vital to support French artists, and I therefore want all those involved in the French creative arts to feel at home at Centre Pompidou - in Paris and Metz alike. Instead of an elitist institution, Georges Pompidou set out to create a venue that would be accessible to a very wide audience, his ambition being to reconcile French people with contemporary art. This goal has been achieved and surpassed. Over its 30-year history, Centre Pompidou has played host to 180 million visitors. Its multidisciplinary programming strategy gives it an amazing ability to bring together and “cross-fertilise” the full spectrum of creative fields. It is important to push the concept of interdisciplinarity as far as possible, starting out from the questions that we all ask ourselves about the world and the age we live in. In my opinion, this is the way to appeal to a wide audience – by raising people’s awareness and stimulating their curiosity, and by daring to confront the big issues of our time. The birth of Centre Pompidou-Metz is a logical extension of this approach.
What dimension will you give it in your project?
Arts policy has featured strongly in Metz’s development for many years, and the city has demonstrated remarkable energy and unwavering determination in this area. In addition to this determination, Metz’s geographical location near the borders with Germany and the Benelux countries give it influence in Europe, as the city stands open to Northern Europe at the crossroads between major travel and trade routes. Considered together, these strengths made Metz a natural choice for decentralising Centre Pompidou. As soon as I was appointed, I arranged to see Jean-Marie Rausch. We first met last April, at Metz city hall, where we expressed our shared enthusiasm for the project. The meeting gave us an opportunity to reiterate our commitment to building this new arts centre and doing everything in our power to make it a lasting success. We have every confidence that the tireless efforts and quite extraordinary creativity of Laurent Le Bon (the project manager at Centre Pompidou) will make it possible to achieve these aims and make Centre Pompidou-Metz a beacon for the creative arts across Europe.
