Art lovers flock to Pompidou Centre ahead of five-year closure

Tourists and French visitors alike filled Paris' landmark Pompidou museum on the weekend to catch a last glimpse of its prestigious art collection ahead of a five-year closure for a major renovation.

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PARIS - Tourists and French visitors alike filled Paris' landmark Pompidou museum on the weekend to catch a last glimpse of its prestigious art collection ahead of a five-year closure for a major renovation.

"Five years — it's long," said guide Elisa Hervelin, as people around her took photos of many of the museum's permanent works, among them paintings by Spanish artist Salvador Dali and Frenchman Henri Matisse and sculptures by French artist Marcel Duchamp.

The 2,000-piece collection, on display on the fourth and fifth floors of the 48-year-old multicultural centre, was being taken away starting on March 10.

The artworks are to be given temporary homes in museums across France and in other countries while the lengthy overhaul of the building — famously designed with its pipes and ventilation shafts colourfully adorning its facade — is carried out.