Centre Pompidou Hanwha
Seoul
Opening on 4 June 2026
50 63-ro, Yeongdeungpo District
Seoul
Opened in June 2026, Centre Pompidou Hanwha is a new arts institution in South Korea, taking the form of a "light box" at the heart of its capital, Seoul. A hub for cooperation and cultural exchange between the Korean and French scenes, its exhibitions offer reinterpretations of major narratives or monographic presentations of leading artists, drawn from the parisian Centre Pompidou collection and viewed through the prism of the Korean context.
Domaine public. © Photo : Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Georges Meguerditchian/Dist. GrandPalaisRmn
The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision
From 4 June 2026
Organized as a chronological journey, the exhibition traces the emergence, dissemination, and international development of Cubism. It brings together around 90 paintings and sculptures by more than 40 artists from the collection of Centre Pompidou – Musée national d’art moderne. From major figures of the movement, including Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Juan Gris, Fernand Léger, and Sonia and Robert Delaunay, to artists less familiar to Korean audiences, such as Albert Gleizes, Amédée Ozenfant, and Natalia Goncharova.
A special section entitled KOREA FOCUS highlights the ways in which this "modern vision", born of Western Cubism, helped shape developments in modern and contemporary Korean art.
An Architecture of Light at the Heart of Seoul
Designed by architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte—who also led the renovations of Incheon International Airport—the Centre Pompidou Hanwha is housed in a former annex of the iconic 63 Building in Yeouido, Seoul’s main financial district. Rising over four floors, the building includes two vast exhibition galleries, each measuring approximately 1,500 square metres.
The pre-existing structure, formerly home to an aquarium, has been redesigned to create a true "box of light". Its translucent double-glazed envelope allows natural light to penetrate deep into the building during the day and, once night falls, to radiate outward and illuminate the city. Its curves are inspired by traditional Korean roof tiles.
A Cultural Bridge Between Korea, France, and the International Art Scene
Alongside the two annual exhibitions co-organised with the Centre Pompidou and drawn from the collection of the Musée national d’art moderne in Paris, the museum devotes its programme to contemporary Korean artists and to dialogue with the international art scene.
