Beset by funding woes, the world-renowned modern and contemporary art museum has put a halt to its plans to open a US branch. France's in Paris has called off its plan to open its first US branch in Jersey City – strictly speaking in the state of New Jersey, but considered a suburb of New York – in 2027. The museum says that the project has been "suspended until further notice," confirming reports in the US media.
With its financing a source of controversy from the outset, the project’s future was thrown into real jeopardy when local authorities in New Jersey withdrew public funding on Saturday. “While we are honoured that Jersey City was selected as the first North American location for a Centre Pompidou facility, we have decided to pause this project indefinitely,” wrote Tim Sullivan, CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, in a letter obtained and published by the New Jersey Monitor. In the letter, Sullivan said that the project was “no longer feasible”, citing “an irreconcilable operating gap” and the “financial burdens it will create for New Jersey’s taxpayers," among other factors.
In a further financial blow, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency – which had been due to fund the project to the tune of $18 million (€16.7 million) – appealed to the Paris art museum to return the $6 million (€5.6 million) of state funding it had already received.
This setback comes as the Pompidou Centre in Paris is preparing to shut down for –.
