Masterpieces? is a historic cultural event in many respects. As the opening exhibition of the Centre Pompidou-Metz, it proudly introduces the first decentralisation of a major national cultural institution – the Centre Pompidou – in partnership with regional authorities : the City of Metz, the Metz Métropole Urban Community, the Moselle Department and the Lorraine Region. Its concept encapsulates the cultural mission of this new institution in the heart of Europe, reaching out to wide audiences with an ambitious programme of exhibitions and events that shares the Centre Pompidou’s values – innovation, accessibility and cross-disciplinarity – while drawing on its know-how, network and reputation. One of the Centre Pompidou-Metz’s main assets is its preferential access to the nearly 100,000 works of the Musée national d’art moderne, Europe’s largest collection of modern and contemporary art. Gathering a rare and exceptional selection of major works, many of which have hardly ever been on loan before, Masterpieces? highlights the formidable wealth of this extraordinary collection.
A unique event with respect to its scenography and the diversity of works it comprises, Masterpieces? features the largest number of works on loan in the history of the Centre Pompidou. It embraces the over 5,000 sq.m. of exhibition spaces in the spectacular building designed by Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines. The exhibition, which is divided into four chapters, sheds new light on the notion of masterpiece, past, present and future. To do so, it reexamines this long-standing and arguably antiquated concept while applying it to modern and contemporary works of art. Masterpieces? will gradually make way for temporary exhibitions and programmes designed to contribute to shape the cultural identity of the Centre Pompidou-Metz.
The first part of the exhibition, Masterpieces throughout history, proposes a chronological journey through 17 rooms relating the changing notion of the masterpiece throughout the centuries.
This section examines acceptance of the notion of a masterpiece ever since it first emerged in the Middle Ages, a sort of history of “good taste” from then until the present day. It is also an opportunity to highlight certain key moments in the history of the Musée national d’art moderne and the compilation of its collection. A gigantic mirror is hung from the very high ceiling in this space, providing a reversed image of the exhibition inviting visitors to reflect on the notion of the masterpiece.
