centre pompidou hanwha opens in seoul inside jean-michel wilmotte’s box of light
centre pompidou Hanwha to open in seoul, june 4th, 2026
Paris’ Centre Pompidou officially arrives in Seoul as the new Centre Pompidou Hanwha held its opening ceremony on May 19th, 2026, inside the transformed annex of the city’s iconic 63 Building. Developed through a four-year partnership between the French institution and the Hanwha Foundation of Culture, the museum launches ahead of its public debut on June 4th with The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision, a sweeping exhibition tracing the emergence and evolution of Cubism through works from the Pompidou collection.
Designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, the project transforms the former aquarium annex of the 63 Building in Yeouido into a luminous four-story museum conceived as a ‘box of light.’ The intervention introduces more than 3,000 square meters of exhibition space to the Korean capital, bringing Centre Pompidou’s modern and contemporary art program to Seoul while positioning the institution as a new cultural bridge between Korea, France, and the wider international art scene.
all images courtesy of Centre Pompidou Hanwha
jean-michel wilmotte turns former aquarium into a museum
The architectural intervention by Jean-Michel Wilmotte carves into the existing structure to draw natural light deep into the galleries during the day while allowing the building to glow outward into Seoul’s skyline at night. Its translucent double-glazed facade references the curvature of traditional Korean roof tiles, while a horizontal band of light contrasts against the vertical profile of the neighboring tower. The renovation introduces two main exhibition halls of approximately 1,600 square meters each, alongside educational and public-facing spaces intended to connect everyday urban life with contemporary art.
The museum extends the international strategy of the Centre Pompidou while adapting its curatorial model to the Korean context through joint Korea-France research, interpretation, and education programs. Across the next four years, the institution plans to stage two major exhibitions annually drawn from the Pompidou collection, complemented by additional presentations focused on contemporary Korean and international artistic production.
exterior view of Centre Pompidou Hanwha inside Seoul’s transformed 63 Building annex
the cubists: inventing modern vision
Opening on June 4th, 2026, the inaugural exhibition, The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision, traces the development of Cubism in Paris between 1907 and 1927 through more than 90 works by over 40 artists from the Pompidou collection. Structured across eight thematic sections, the exhibition examines how Cubism fundamentally altered twentieth-century visual culture by fragmenting and reconstructing perspective, space, and representation. The exhibition includes works by Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Juan Gris, Fernand Léger, and Sonia Delaunay, alongside figures less frequently presented in Korea, including Albert Gleizes, Amédée Ozenfant, and Natalia Goncharova. Among the exhibition highlights is the Korean premiere of a large-scale stage curtain created by Pablo Picasso for a ballet production.
A dedicated section titled KOREA FOCUS positions Cubism within the formation of Korean modernity, presenting paintings, archival materials, media installations, and commissioned video works that explore how avant-garde ideas circulating through Paris influenced Korean visual art, literature, dance, and music beginning in the 1920s. Rather than framing Cubism solely as a European movement, the section examines how its experimental modes of seeing were translated and transformed within Korean cultural history.
Jean-Michel Wilmotte wraps the museum in translucent glass
from chagall to brancusi, a four-year program
Following its opening exhibition, Centre Pompidou Hanwha has announced an ambitious four-year roadmap centered on key trajectories in twentieth-century modern art. Upcoming exhibitions will focus on artists including Marc Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky, and Henri Matisse, while future programming will expand into surrealism, abstraction, women artists historically marginalized within dominant art-historical narratives, and early digital art linked to today’s AI-driven visual culture.
The institution is also developing Korea’s first major exhibition dedicated to Constantin Brâncuși, positioning the sculptor’s abstraction as a precursor to contemporary digital aesthetics. Through this evolving program, the museum aims to establish itself not only as an extension of the Pompidou network, but as a new cultural platform connecting Seoul to wider global conversations around modern and contemporary art.
the new Seoul outpost marks Centre Pompidou’s latest international expansion in Asia
The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision traces the evolution of Cubism through works from the Pompidou collection
curved gallery walls guide visitors through a chronological presentation of modern art masterpieces
flexible galleries allow Centre Pompidou Hanwha to accommodate large-scale contemporary exhibitions
a chronological presentation of modern art masterpieces
the opening exhibition brings together key works tracing the development of Cubism
large-scale paintings and sculptures compose the exhibition
flexible white cube galleries were designed to host rotating exhibitions
Jean-Michel Wilmotte designed adaptable exhibition spaces
open circulation and integrated mezzanine levels
a glazed geometric passage frames views toward the surrounding Yeouido skyline
rooftop terraces extend the museum experience outdoors with panoramic views across Seoul
sculptural ceiling lighting inspired by organic forms
the museum auditorium supports screenings, lectures, and public programs
project info:
name: Centre Pompidou Hanwha | @centrepompidouhanwha
location: Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea
client: Hanwha Foundation Of Culture, Centre Pompidou | @centrepompidou
architect: Jean-Michel Wilmotte | @wilmotteassociesofficial
inaugural exhibition: The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision
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