The museum will be built to house the collection of the French billionaire Francois Pinault by the architect Tadao Ando. Pino is a controversial figure, but his position as the third-largest wealthy person in the country, owner of the Gucci Group, Printemps and Fnac chain stores and Château Latour winery, as well as his friendship with President Jacques Chirac, gave him the opportunity for such an ambitious project.
A new structure of glass and concrete worth 216 million euros will appear in 2008 on the site of the Renault plant, abandoned since 1992, an important historical monument for the French trade union movement. The influence of the mood of the workers of the enterprise on the domestic policy of France was very great for a long time, especially in the 1960s.
Pinault is not embarrassed by the objections of historians and politicians of the left wing: he is "going to share his passion for art with as many people as possible," and what could be more noble than this goal? The demolition of the plant has already begun, and the first stone of the new museum will be laid in November.
The only problem for Pino may be the location of the island: it is located 30 minutes by transport from the city center, at the final metro station - away from the main tourist routes. We can only hope that the state will support the initiative of François Pinault and build on the remaining free area of the island some cultural institutions that can additionally attract visitors there.
