You’ve heard of the latest creative trend of ‘pop-ups’. From art installations to restaurants to stores, the craze has become a proven staple for companies and agencies. The city of Malaga, Spain has just upped the ante with a pop-up museum of sorts.
The coastal city is now the home to the sparkling Centre Pompidou Malaga. The grand opening was held on March 28th, and presided over by Mariano Rajoy, Spain’s Prime Minister. He was joined by many dignitaries, including Fleur Pellerin, the Minister of Culture for France.
The Centre Pompidou Malaga represents both a new resurgence for Malaga as an epicenter for art, and as another result of efforts towards urban revitalization.
The pop-up museum is situated in the port district of the city, which had dealt with some disrepair in past years. The museum itself is aligned with the Center Georges Pompidou in Paris, a complex that is home to the Musee National d’Art Moderne as well as the Public Information Library. This opening is the second museum in the area to open in so short a time – the Russian State Museum opened its first-ever international branch three days prior to the Centre Pompidou’s opening of its doors, making its home in a reclaimed tobacco factory.
The Centre Pompidou Malaga has been dubbed ‘The Cube’ in recognition of its unique architecture, which is dominated by an immense glass cube. The design even extends to the restrooms that are found within, with the women’s bathroom having a cloak of green light coupled with inspiring phrases on the lavatory walls. But the artwork displayed inside is the serious draw for citizens and travelers. To that end, the museum has obtained several pieces of artwork from some of the world’s most renowned artists. One instance is in Malaga’s own native son, Pablo Picasso. Other artists on display are Frida Kahlo, Rene Magritte and Marc Chagall among others. The Centre Pompidou Malaga received these works from their sister museum in Paris at a fee just over US$1 million on a yearly basis. The pop-up museum is slated to be open for at least five years.
