A secret that had been jealously guarded for months by managers of the Pompidou Center in Paris and by the mayor of Málaga has finally been unveiled: the first international branch of the famous French modern art museum will open in the Andalusian city in 2015.

The new gallery is poised to become the latest addition to a growing list of world-class art centers located in Málaga, such as the Carmen Thyssen Museum (which holds part of the collection owned by Carmen Cervera, wife of the late Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza) or the museum devoted to Pablo Picasso, who was born in the city in 1881. The new Pompidou center will be located on the waterfront, under the shadow of the Alcazaba, the Muslim fortress that overlooks the city. The building is already in place: known as El Cubo (The Cube), the steel-and-glass structure went up two years ago at the port, in the spot where Piers 1 and 2 meet.

This is just one more example of a contemporary trend by which the world’s major museums are allowing their holdings to be shown around the world – after receiving a check, that is. Politicians with the power to make it happen are happy. Museum managers anxious for revenues in these hard times are delighted. Democratization of culture is what they’re calling it.

The agreement between Mayor Francisco de la Torre (of the center-right Popular Party) and Pompidou president Alain Seban involves filling The Cube with a permanent collection of 70 artworks from the Paris headquarters, whose art managers will also organize one temporary show a year, curated by themselves.

The five-year deal will represent an annual cost of one million euros for the city, which will pick up the tab for transportation, security and operating costs. Another five million euros are expected to go into construction and refurbishing work to prepare El Cubo for its new mission as a container of valuable art. The exact works scheduled to travel to Málaga are to be determined at a later date, under the supervision of Pompidou officials and a municipal representative for cultural affairs.

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