Hanwha Group has brought the world-renowned contemporary art museum Centre Pompidou’s third international outpost to Seoul.
 
Hanwha Foundation of Culture announced on the 19th that it held the opening ceremony for Centre Pompidou Hanwha at the 63 Building in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. The newly opened Centre Pompidou Hanwha becomes the third Pompidou museum following those in Málaga, Spain, and Shanghai West Bund, China.
 
The opening ceremony was attended by numerous leading figures from the Korean and international arts and culture scenes, including Kim Dong-won, President and Chief Global Officer (CGO) of Hanwha Life, along with executives from Hanwha Group affiliates; Philippe Bertoux, French Ambassador to Korea; Laurent Le Bon, President of the Centre Pompidou; Yoo Hong-jun, Director of the National Museum of Korea; Sunghee Kim, Director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea; and Bum Hun Lee, Chairman of the Arts Council Korea.

At the opening ceremony, Kim Dong-won, President and Chief Global Officer (CGO) of Hanwha Life, toured the exhibitions at Centre Pompidou Hanwha alongside leading figures from the art world and artists participating in the Youngmin International Artist Residency Grant.
 
He carefully viewed major works embodying the essence of Cubism, including Pablo Picasso’s Mercure Curtain and Marie Laurencin’s Apollinaire and His Friends, taking time to reflect on the significance of the opening of Centre Pompidou Hanwha.
 
Speaking at the ceremony, Sunghee Kim, Director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, remarked, “The opening of Centre Pompidou Hanwha is especially meaningful as it coincides with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France,” adding, “I hope it will serve as an important bridge for cultural and artistic exchange and mutual growth between the two countries.”

In a commemorative address delivered on his behalf by Kim Dong-won, Seung Youn Kim Chairman of Hanwha Group, emphasized, “Hanwha views arts and culture not simply as something to support, but as a core value for the future,” adding, “Someone must envision an unseen future and continue to protect its possibilities to the very end. That belief has ultimately become reality and revealed itself here today.”
 
Hanwha Group plans to actively put its philosophy of corporate patronage for the arts into practice through Centre Pompidou Hanwha.
 
The museum will officially open to the public on June 4 at 10 a.m., and is expected to serve as a multifaceted cultural space supporting Korean artists in expanding onto the global stage.

References

• 한화그룹 보도자료 (Hanwha Group Press Release)