Centre Georges Pompidou

Model of the Museum

The Centre Georges Pompidou is the biggest modern art museum in Paris and is one of the city's best museums in my opinion.  Over 40 years ago, the French President Georges Pompidou had a dream of a museum in Paris that combined visual modern art with music, film, fashion, as well as architecture.  The architect of the Pompidou, Renzo Piano, stated he wanted the museum to be: "A building that would be not a monument but a celebration, a large urban plaything".  And that was exactly what the Pompidou became.

One of the most distinct looking buildings in Paris, the Centre Pompidou's exterior exhibits what should be on the buildings inside.  When looking at the model above, you can see that red marks where there is people movement (i.e. lifts), yellow marks the electrical shafts, blue for air ducts, and green for all the pipework.  Although it was highly controversial at its opening in 1977, the musuem currently has an average of 22,000 visitors each day making it Paris' most visited monument (even more than Notre Dame!).

Chasse Interdit --Joan Mitchell

Carpet room with Piano, normal at the Pompidou

Last night, I made what was probably my final visit to the Centre Pompidou this semester and spent a total of 4 hours taking a final look at all of the art that I have come to love.  The beautiful view from the the museum's roof in combination with some of the most famous pieces of modern artists such as Marcel Duchamp, Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Man Ray, and many, many others makes it a museum well worth visiting multiple times.

Centre Pompidou Bar

When my Aunt Pam and Dad were here, we planned to have a drink on top of the Pompidou but unfortunately the bar/restaurant was closed at the time...guess I have to save something for my next trip to Paris so I can have and excuse to return.

Familiar?

C'est moi

View from the roof of Notre Dame and the Pantheon

Picasso

Today marks the Royal Wedding in London but more importantly it almost marks my final week in Paris; 7 days from now I will be over the Atlantic en route to Philadelphia.  It amazes me how quickly this semester went!  I am trying to soak up every last second of being in "the City of Love" because who knows the next time that I will be back, and oh will I miss it...

"There are only two places in the world where we can live happy: in our home and in Paris."

--Ernest Hemmingway

Bisous bisous,

Mary