CCI was founded in October 1969 in the Central Union of Decorative Arts by François Mathey and François Barré. In 1972, it was located at the National Art and Culture Georges Pompidou center, becoming one of its departments on July 1, 1973. Subsequently, in 1992, it was merged with the Musée National d’Art Moderne, which was another department of the Pompidou center, to form a single department: the Musée National d’Art Moderne / Centre de création industrielle (MNAM / ICC).