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

Designed by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers and named after former president Georges Pompidou, the centre opened its doors in 1977 and is now set to undergo a major modernisation.

"I'm a little sad because it feels so strange to think that for at least five years, we won't come back anymore. It's a place I love, a place my children and my five-year-old granddaughter love too," Claudie Rocard-Laperrousaz, a 65-year-old artist and photographer, told AFP.

The museum's permanent collection closed for visitors back in March, when specialists began to remove works from display, including paintings by the likes of Francis Bacon or Frida Kahlo and the sculptures of Marcel Duchamp.

Temporary exhibitions have remained open and Monday was the final day for visitors to see the last such show, a retrospective of the German artist Wolfgang Tillmans, until the centre reopens around 2030.

The museum will stay open exceptionally until 11:00 pm (2100 GMT) with free entry, although it is also due to host a musical and artistic show from 22-25 October to mark a Paris contemporary art week.

The closure is also set to hit the area's shops and restaurants, which rely on the landmark to draw customers.

"We are very worried. It's the whole neighbourhood that's going to change," said Alexandre Mahfouz, the manager of a gallery opposite the entrance of the Pompidou Centre and president of the neighbourhood's business owners' collective.

- 'Feel the same shock' -

The state of Paris's often-crowded cultural attractions has caused concern recently, with the head of the Louvre warning earlier this year that the world's most-visited museum was suffering from water damage, poor maintenance and long queues.

President Emmanuel Macron visited afterwards to promise that it would be "redesigned, restored and enlarged" with a multi-year overhaul forecast to cost up to 800 million euros ($940 million).

Asbestos removal, accessibility, security and a complete interior redesign are all on the agenda for the major renovations at the Pompidou Centre.

Improved climate protection with new waterproofing is also planned, aiming to "reduce energy bills by 40 percent," its president Laurent Le Bon told AFP.

"We're keeping the exterior framework, but from the basement to the top floor, we're changing everything," he said.

A huge terrace open to the public on the seventh floor will offer breathtaking views of Paris.

"We hope that visitors will feel a bit (of) the same shock as when the centre opened in 1977," he added.

The total cost of the renovation is estimated at 460 million euros, of which 280 million will be financed by the French state.

For the rest, "100 million has already been secured and we are hopeful of finding the remaining 80 within the next five years," said Le Bon. Saudi Arabia has chipped in with a 50 million-euro contribution.

ls-sj-adp/sbk