The much-awaited outpost of the Centre Pompidou in Málaga opened its doors on Saturday, during a ceremony attended by the president of Spain, Mariano Rajoy, the French minister of culture, Fleur Pellerin, and the president of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Alain Seban.

For the mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, this is a dream come true. Now serving his fifteenth year as mayor of the city, it has been one of his main goals to turn it into more than a mere “sun and beach” destination by bringing art and culture to the fore (see The Centre Pompidou Pops Up in Málaga).

And so far, he is succeeding. Last Wednesday, the State Russian Museum also launched its outpost in the city. Over 3,000 visitors came through the doors to see works by Wassily Kandinsky, Marc Chagall, and Kazimir Malevich in just two days, according to La Opinion de Málaga (see State Russian Museum To Open Spanish Outpost and Málaga’s Hotly Anticipated Russian Museum Announces First Shows).

The city, moreover, boasts a substantial cultural offering already. The Picasso Museum and the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo opened their doors in 2003. In 2011, the Carmen Thyssen Museum was launched, with works from the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection in Madrid. And this summer, a new art fair will open in the neighboring resort town of Marbella (see Marbella Gets an Art Fair, But Are Collectors Game?).

The Pompidou Málaga, which will run for an initial period of five years, occupies a pre-existing building, a cube-shaped construction that has been refurbished and given the Daniel Buren treatment on its façade, adorned with colorful squares.

Inside, the program offers a mix of temporary exhibition with highlights from the Pompidou’s permanent collection, including works by Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Frida Kahlo, Francis Bacon, and René Magritte.