"The Pompidou Centre was not able to open its doors to the public due to a strike by its staff, including personnel working at reception and those responsible for security," said a statement from the centre's director.

Striking personnel demanded that Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand meet with them to "provide clear answers on the future of the Pompidou Centre ... which is already on the verge of a financial abyss," a union statement said.

An envoy from Mitterrand's office was due to meet with museum staff on Tuesday. The personnel was to decide early Tuesday whether to go back to work.

More than 40 percent of staff at the Pompidou Centre are over the age of 50. Legal retirement age in France is 70.