The enchanting French capital has much to offer its visitors: popular and intriguing museums, exclusive art galleries and historical landmarks, spectacularly beautiful gardens and recreational parks.
Among the most visited attractions Center Pompidou has its unique place, welcoming thousands of visitors per day. This is a brightly colored inside out giant complex, centrally located on Paris’ Right Bank, in the 4th arrondissement, a unique cultural center comprising four major specialist activities: museum of modern art, a vast public library, center for industrial design and a center for music and acoustic research. The art collection in the museum is outstanding, including works by artists such as Matisse, Pollock, Miro, Picasso and Kandinsky.
The architecture of the Center Pompidou is unique in its own way, featuring glass fade, external stairs and pipes on the rare fade of the building. On the ground floor of the building, you’ll see temporary exhibitions and information desks while the 4th and 5th floors house France’s national collection of art dating from 1905 onwards. The Center Pompidou is very close to such attractions as Le Marais and Les Halles that enable tourists to have fun all day long. Do not forget that tickets once bought for the day can be used for seeing all the exhibitions held at the National Museum on that day!
Interesting Facts
- Center Pompidou was designed by the collaboration of Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano – the mai architects of this high tech steel and glass construction.
- The building was built in the 70s and was named after the former president George Pompidou.
- It was closed for the renovation work from 1997 to December 1999 and reopened to the public again in 2000 with an extended museum space and enlarged reception areas.
- Inaugurated in 1977, the center has dazzled visitors not just for its outstanding collection of modern art, but also for its radical architectural statement.
- The public library boasts a collection of 450,000 books, with facilities for over two thousand readers.
- Museum of Modern Arts houses 50,000 works of art, including sculptures, paintings, drawings and photography.
- Center Pompidou also features a cinema, a restaurant with amazing views, a performance venue and children’s activities.
- Every year Center Pompidou holds thirty or so public exhibitions as well as such international events as documentary screenings, dance shows, educational activities and symposiums.
- Some of the art movements represented within the Pompidou Center are Cubism, Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism.
- There is a square in front of the Center Pompidou, where you’ll find the first modern fountain in Paris that has several kinetic sculptures, designed by Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely. The square is a gathering point for sketch artists, jugglers, and mimes.
- According to critics the Center Pompidou has been described as an ‘oil refinery in the center of the city.’
- Locally the Center Pompidou is known as Beaubourg or The Center Georges Pompidou.
- Every month on the first Sunday the admission to the museum is free of charge for everyone.
Center Pompidou is open daily except Tuesdays, from 11:00am to 10:00pm with entry fees ranging between $10 and $20 dollars.
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