The Pompidou
The Centre George Pompidou, Paris' modern art museum
The Pompidou is Paris' homage to 20th-century creativity. Aside from the gallery of modern art—featuring the works of Matisse, Chagall, Kadinsky, Bonnard, Ernst, Pollock, Calder, and Henry Moore—there are exhibits on industrial design, music research, photography, and the history of film.
The cafeteria on the top floor has some fantastic views.
Even if you don't want to go inside, come by to shake your head at the wildly colorful and controversial see-through inside-out architecture—it reminds me of nothing so much as the Habitrail network of plastic tubes my hamster used to scurry around in—and to enjoy Paris' best street performers on the sloping square out front.
Don't miss Brancusi's studio reconstituted in a separate structure out in front, open Wednesday to Monday 2–6pm.
Tips
- Planning your time: Taste in art is subjective—and that goes doubly for taste in modern art. Some people simply wander through, shaking their heads at the odder exhibits, in 90 minutes or less. Others will delightedly spend an entire morning here. Much depends on the quality of, or interest you have in, the frequent and substantial temporary exhibitions.
Put it this way: when I gave the teenagers in my Boy Scout troop an afternoon on their own to spend doing whatever they wanted in Paris—and this was the final afternoon of their month-long European vacation—as a group they all decided to return to the Pompidou. - Free admission with a sightseeing discount card: Get into the Pompidou for free (and skip the line at the ticket booth) with either the Paris Sightseeing Pass
or the Paris Museum Pass.
- Take a tour of the Pompidou with our partners at Viator.com:
- The Pompidou is free on the first Sunday of the month.
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This article was last updated in March 2012. All information was accurate at the time.
Copyright © 1998–2012 by Reid Bramblett. All rights reserved.
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place Georges Pompidou
Hôtel de Ville (4eme)
Tel. +33-(0)1-44-78-12-33
www.centrepompidou.fr
OPEN
Wed-Mon: 11am–9pm
ADMISSION
€13
Paris Museum Pass: Yes (free)
Paris Sightseeing Pass
TRANSPORT
Métro: Rambuteaux (11), Hôtel de Ville (1, 11), Châtelet (1, 4, 7, 11, 14)
RER: Châtelet-Les Halles (A, B, D)
TOURS
• Private Viewing and Walking Tour of Pompidou Centre in Paris
