France From Stock Exchange to Museum

French luxury goods tycoonFranois Pinault recently announced his plans to restore the Paris stock exchange and turn it into a museum of modern art. The businessman had been searching for an appropriate home for his1.25 billion collectionit includes pieces by the likes of Mark Rothko and Damien Hirstfor the past few years. The stock exchange, better known as the Bourse de Commerce, whichonce served as the citys granary, is one of the greatest but least known examples of neoclassical architecture in the City of Lights. The building will assume its new avatar after a108 million renovation project, which will includethe installation of a giant concrete cylinder by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando.The new museum will include 3,000 square meters of exhibition space its five-floor layout features a 300-seating basement auditorium and a restaurant on the top floor. It is expected to open in 2019.