Iconic French Pompidou Centre branches out to Malaga, Spain

Yet another reason to visit Malaga! Malaga is one of those oft overlooked cities, underrated and underappreciated even amongst other Andalusian capitals such as Seville and Granada. Many people might be surprised to learn, for example, that Malaga has some thirty museums and a combined cultural offering only surpassed by Madrid and Barcelona in Spain. As the birthplace of Picasso it makes sense that Malaga would embrace its artistic heritage, but it has only been in the past ten to fifteen years that the city has made a concerted effort into investment and development of world class cultural assets. Malaga’s emerging cultural significance and attractiveness clearly caught the attention of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, looking to establish its first satellite museum abroad. “Pop-up Pompidou” The so called “Pop-up Pompidou” will be housed in “El Cubo” (the cube), in a recently redeveloped area of the port of Malaga known as Muelle Uno, the lively new home of numerous cafes, shops and restaurants. Strategically placed, the museum will stand both at the water front and in the heart of the city, with its five year residence set to launch in the spring of 2015. More than ninety extraordinary pieces will grace the exhibits, inviting visitors to a journey through the art of the 20th and 21st centuries with such renowned artists as Francis Bacon, Frida Kahlo, René Magritte, Joan Miró and Malaga’s native son Pablo Picasso. With an incomparable collection of more than 100,000 artworks, the Centre Pompidou can certainly afford to send some pieces abroad, and the Pompidou Centre Malaga will feature rotating temporary exhibits of three to six months to expose yet more works. It is one of the ways the museum curators plan for the centre to be “frequented” rather than just visited; also planned are inovative, interactive and multidisciplinary experiences with a particular focus on young audiences and people of all levels of artistic knowledge. Lasting legacy The Pop-up Pompidou will beautifully compliment the other impressive museums Malaga has to offer, including the Picasso Museum and Picasso Birthplace Museum, the Carmen Thyssen Museum, the Contemporary Art Centre and the new Fine Art museum also slated to open doors in 2015. Though the Pop-up Pompidou Centre in Malaga will have a temporary residence of five years, El Cubo will remain a centre for culture and art long after the Pompidou returns to Paris, ensuring that Malaga’s emerging cultural and artistic significance continues to rise. Alan Hazel is Owner and Director of Cortijo El Carligto. If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.