The luxury brand Chanel is backing the Centre Pompidou as part of a “new significant partnership”, giving the Parisian art institution a financial boost during its five-year closure.
“The five-year commitment [from Chanel] will strengthen Centre Pompidou’s work across access, scholarship, and the preservation of public knowledge, contributing to its long-term stewardship of cultural memory,” says a Chanel statement. The amount given is confidential, a spokesperson adds.
The Centre Pompidou, which opened in 1977, is closed until 2030 for a major overhaul which according to Le Monde is due to cost at least €460m.
Both organisations have teamed up previously. In 2023, the Chanel Culture Fund and Centre Pompidou launched Assemble, a programme which focused on “collaborative explorations” by architects, designers, artists and scientists, says the Chanel website.
“The digital revolution, global warming and the question of democracy are all at the heart of the forum which is the lifeblood of the Centre Pompidou. Coming together to reflect on the best way to rethink a cultural utopia is obviously at the centre of our partnership with the Chanel Culture Fund,” said Laurent Le Bon, Centre Pompidou president, in an online video linked to the Assemble project.
Meanwhile in 2025, Chanel announced a four-year partnership with the Centre Pompidou to increase the museum’s permanent collection of Chinese contemporary artists by over 30% by 2028 through a dedicated acquisition fund. Works have since been acquired by artists such as Chen Wei and Cui Jie, according to Ocula.
Yana Peel, the president of arts, culture and heritage at Chanel, says in a statement: “Building on years of collaboration, from funding acquisitions to programmes spanning disciplines, we honour an institution [Centre Pompidou] that continuously expands how culture is produced, studied, and shared.”