Despite early doubts, however, the French public have embraced the cultural hub, a response which National Geographic described as "love at second sight". It's also a huge hit with tourists, and currently houses the Public Information Library, the Musée National d'Art Moderne, and the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music (IRCAM).

In fact, it has almost been too successful. The Pompidou Centre was reportedly built to accommodate around 8,000 visitors a day but attracted five times as many in its first 20 years. From 2023, the site will be closed for around four years to allow vital restoration work to take place.