The Paris Gallery Centre Pompidou closed for the reconstruction of the permanent collection

Paris - The Paris Museum of Modern Art Centre Pompidou closed access to its permanent collections on Monday evening, marking the beginning of the first phase of its five-year complete renovation. The postmodernist building from the 1970s will undergo its first major renovation after half a century since its opening, which is expected to cost more than 260 million euros (over 6.5 billion crowns). It will remain partially open until September, during which time short-term exhibitions will be accessible to visitors, the center reports on its website.

The Centre Pompidou is one of the most significant museums of modern and contemporary art in the world. Its collections include more than 140,000 works by artists such as Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, and Joan Miró.

The French government has decided to invest in the renovation of the building, which suffers from considerable wear and corrosion. The construction will undergo a complete renovation and the removal of asbestos from all facades, improvements to fire safety, reductions in the energy consumption of the building's operation, and also the simplification of access for people with limited mobility.

The last visitors were able to admire the works of the permanent collection located on the 4th and 5th floors of the building on Monday; from today, only short-term exhibitions or workshops on the lower floors will be on display.

"I will miss the visitors the most, always curious and open. Five years is a long time," said Elisa Hervelin, who has worked at the art center for 14 years, during one of the last guided tours to AFP.

The building, also referred to as Beaubourg in connection with the location where it opened to the public in 1977, was designed by architects Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers, and Gianfranco Franchini. At its time, the construction attracted attention primarily due to its most visible components, especially the placement of transparent staircases and colorful distribution pipes on the exterior walls.