Centre Pompidou

In 1969, French President Georges Pompidou announced an international architectural competition with an enticing prize for the winner: to become the architect of the soon-to-be-developed Centre Pompidou. A team comprised of one British and two Italian architects was selected from a pool of 681 applicants originating from 49 countries. Today, the uniquely designed Centre Pompidou is considered an emblematic 20th century building, one of the world's most popular cultural venues, and a highly trafficked French monument. In the immediate decades after its founding in 1977, the Centre Pompidou staged highly influential exhibitions of 20th century art. In the 1980's, the institution began expanding its collections of modern and contemporary art. In 1992, the newly created department of cultural development began programming live performances, lectures, film screenings, debates, and symposia. Several decades, a series of major renovations, and hundreds of millions of visitors later, the Centre Pompidou is home to one of the world's most impressive architecture and design collections.