Events
The amis du Centre Pompidou organize every year three major events that have become key dates in the contemporary art-world calendar.
Gala Dinner
In 2020, the traditional gala dinner evolved into an unprecedented initiative to support the French arts scene. Proceeds from the evening enabled the acquisition of works by 15 French artists, which the amis du Centre Pompidou were able to discover during an exceptional evening at the Museum.
The amis du Centre Pompidou were the first to organize a fundraising dinner among the collections in 2003, on the occasion of the centennial of the association. Since 2006, the amis have gathered each year in the galleries of the museum more than 750 guests who appreciate the exceptional character of a dinner surrounded by the masterpieces of the modern collection. This evening allows donors to contribute directly to the enrichment of the collections—acquisitions of remarkable works such as Anselm Kiefer’s The Secret Life of Plants in 2003, Jeff Wall’s Knife Throw in 2008, and Chen Zhen’s Beyond the vulnerability in 2015.
On the occasion of the 2016 Gala Dinner, Musician and Composer Patrick Zimmerli was commissioned to make a site-specific installation — percussion instruments hanging in the Chenille escalator and played by a Waterfall of perpetually descending Percussionists (the Paris Percussion Group) as the guests arrived to the Dinner.
On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Centre Pompidou, Jean-Paul Goude was given an artistic carte blanche for a memorable evening. In 2018, the Belgian architect and designer Charles Kaisin has led the artistic direction of the dinner on Tuesday, April 10th. In 2019, the amis du Centre Pompidou called on the French designer François Azambourg for the artistic direction.
You × Art × Centre Pompidou
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Centre Pompidou, the amis du Centre Pompidou invited Francesco Vezzoli to conceive a unique evening. The Italian artist imagined a fantastic stroll through the modern works of the collection. Wearing the extraordinary costumes designed for the occasion by Prada, the young and talented artists in residence at the Académie of the Opéra National de Paris serenaded 14 canvases. Later on, Catherine Deneuve and Carole Bouquet as DJs, the Centre Pompidou was transformed into an ephemeral nightclub for an unforgettable evening.
For the second edition of YACP, the amis du Centre Pompidou gave carte blanche to Davide Balula into the Museum contemporary collection for a performative night with 60 Orchestral performers embracing visitors in an immersive sound experience. Later on, We Love Art transformed the Centre Pompidou into a Digital Dance Floor among a luminous installation of the collective Visual System with Laurent Garnier b2b Pedro Winter / Tez / Safia Bahmed Schwartz / Sons of Raphael / Miley Serious.
For the third edition of this evening, the amis du Centre Pompidou gave carte blanche to fashion designer Rick Owens for a unique performance at the Musée national d'art moderne, followed by an evening on the top floor of the Centre Pompidou. Articulated in three parts, this event began with a visit of the exhibition "Bacon in all its letters" accompanied by a drink at Restaurant Le Georges, before giving way to a performance imagined by Rick Owens, with Tommy Cash, Christeene, David Hoyle, Kembra Pfahler, Glenda, Mother Rheeda, Precious Ebony and Michèle Lamy. At midnight, DJs Yasmina Dexter, Lsd XOXO and Dustina Muchovitz, selected by Rick Owens and Michèle Lamy, transformed the top floor of the Centre Pompidou into an ephemeral nightclub.
In 2020, the fourth edition of YACP has been postponed due to the health context.
Garden Party
Reserved for the amis du Centre Pompidou, the Garden Party is an annual bucolic get together. It allows the amis du Centre Pompidou to meet and exchange in a festive and relaxed atmosphere, on the occasion of a country lunch.