PARIS – In a world first, the Pompidou modern art museum in Paris on Tuesday announced a major year-long show on women in art in the 20th and 21st century featuring works from Europe's biggest collection.

Drawing from its more than 50,000 works, one of the planet's two largest modern and contemporary art collections, the museum from 27 May is dedicating almost half of its floor space to 500 works by 200 women artists from around the world.

"No museum has ever done this before," said Alfred Pacquement, director of the centre's modern art collections.

Gathering pioneering artists such as Frida Khalo, Sonia Delaunay or Joan Mitchell, the show also includes contemporary players Sophie Calle or Louise Bourgeois as well as photographers Gisele Freund, Diane Arbus or Susan Meiselas, and designer-architects from Eileen Gray to Zaha Hadid.

"We aim to help see the world differently, broach social issues," added Alain Seban, who heads the Pompidou Centre.

Currently, women artists represent only 17 percent of artists in the Pompidou collection.

Along with the expo, the centre plans to bring leading feminist writers and philosophers to Paris for talks and to produce a series of films on the exhibition.

AFP / Expatica