The Centre Pompidou to exhibit the work of Wolfgang Tillmans before closing for five years 35 years of creation on show in an iconic architectural setting
From June 13 to September 22, 2025, the 6,000 square meters of the Bibliothèque publique d’information (Bpi) at the Centre Pompidou will host a landmark exhibition organized by German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans with the support of Maison Celine. The very last exhibition at the Centre before its closure for renovation work expected to last no less than five years. Between photography, moving images, music, texts, performances, and architecture, the exhibition titled Nothing could have prepared us - Everything could have prepared us traces 35 years of work and creativity, of questions about society, culture, music and much more. Accompanied by a catalogue, a new version of the Tillman’s Reader, a book published by the artist in 2021, and presented in the incredible architectural setting of the Bpi, the exhibition offers a new way to discover but also to think about and consider contemporary art before bidding farewell to the Centre hosting it for a little while.
Rethinking contemporary art. An activity that drives the life and career of Wolfgang Tillmans, who since the 1990s, has questioned the very practice of photography while keeping an open mind to the world around him, its flaws, its fragile beauty. Through his portraits, still lifes, documentaries and even album covers, Tillmans likes to show society as it is, as he sees it. He likes to show his friends, whether famous like Kate Moss or Lady Gaga, or anonymous. He also likes to show the homosexual community, addressing the theme of the search for existential and character identity. He likes to present nature from a new angle. Nature that evolves, changes and transforms, but also nature deeply rooted in the present moment, stable, calm, soothing and peaceful. His most well-known and appreciated work, however, does not revolve around silence and tranquility, but rather introspection and noise. In 2015, singer Frank Ocean chose the German photographer for the cover of his album Blond, which quickly became an iconic reference in music and pop culture and gave Tillmans new visibility and an unexpected audience.
After presenting numerous retrospectives of his work around the world in recent years, notably at the MoMA in New York in 2022 and at the Tate Modern in London in 2017, the stop at the Centre Pompidou was a natural one for Tillmans. A stop that could not come at a better time and will serve as the perfect farewell exhibition for the Centre, which will be greatly missed in Paris and by its visitors. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with Maison Celine, which for the first time is partnering with the Centre Pompidou and will offer “free access by Celine” days on June 13, July 3, August 28, and September 22, by welcoming visitors free of charge to the Centre on those dates. In addition to offering a great introspective look at over 3 decades of Wolfgang Tillmans' work, Nothing could have prepared us - Everything could have prepared us for it is also an invitation to enjoy the Pompidou and its Bpi one last time. An invitation not to be missed under any circumstances.