Wolfgang Tillmans reimagines the library in a powerful Centre Pompidou exhibition

This summer, the Centre Pompidou exhibition calendar culminates with a transformative project by Wolfgang Tillmans, one of the most influential artists of our time. From June 13th to September 22nd, 2025, the show Nothing could have prepared us – Everything could have prepared us takes over 6,000 square meters of the Bibliothèque Publique d’Information, offering a new vision of the library as a living, breathing archive. As a landmark Centre Pompidou exhibition, it marks the institution’s final programming chapter before a major renovation closure.

At the heart of this immersive Centre Pompidou exhibition is Tillmans’ radical approach to image-making and public space. Known for blurring boundaries between genres, Tillmans presents over 30 years of work in a free-flowing, non-linear installation. Here, walls and tables become canvases for Wolfgang Tillmans’ photographs—ranging from intimate portraits and still lifes to architectural imagery and near-abstract compositions.

This ambitious project doesn’t stop at visuals. Visitors will experience a layered sensory world shaped by moving images, soundscapes, text, and performance. One room features an expansive series of Wolfgang Tillmans’ photographs that merge photography with painting, while another houses an audio-visual piece exploring club culture as a site of resistance and community.

The Centre Pompidou exhibition also introduces a new French edition of the book Tillmans: Reader, and is supported by Celine’s Accès libre par Celine initiative, offering free entry on four select dates. The collaboration between the museum and the fashion house underscores Tillmans’ influence across disciplines.

With Wolfgang Tillmans at the helm, this Centre Pompidou exhibition isn’t just a retrospective—it’s a dynamic, evolving space that pushes the limits of what a library, an image, or a public institution can be. For anyone interested in contemporary culture, design, or photography, Wolfgang Tillmans’ photographs are not to be missed.