The "Beaubourg Effect” from Daniel Buren's perspective

Abstract

In the year of 1969, during the decline of the French Welfare State, and in the aftermath of the riots and the strikes of 1968, President George Pompidou announced the construction project of an ambitious cultural center, which years later would take the name of its creator. Although it has some space for exhibitions and a permanent collection (Musée National d'Art Moderne) it can not be framed only as a museum in a traditional sense. Stitched in the heart of Paris, the center seems to accumulate the function of a museum in a much broader development, which includes the Bibliothèque Publique d'Information, a research center in Music (IRCAM), among others. My intention here is to show how these issues tied to the "new museums”, were formalized in a moment of Buren’s work who is an author linked to neo-vanguards developments in France, known as one of the leading exponents of institutional critique. For this, supported by the literature on the subject, I analyze his writings, and the history of his installations at the Centre George Pompidou entitled “Les Couleurs: sculpture (1975-1977)” and “ Les formes: peinture (1976-1978 ).