When the coronavirus forced some of the France¡¯s busiest museums to close their doors in 2020, it was a rare chance for reflection.

Curators¡¯ conversations during lockdowns centered on the question: ¡°What kind of world do we want to live in post-pandemic?¡± said Julie Narbey, director of the Center Pompidou in Paris, which houses Europe¡¯s largest modern art collection.

Narbey said her team concluded over video calls that the pandemic was the ¡°moment to step up a gear on the environment.¡±