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cultural and artistic
Centre is named after Georges Pompidou, who was president of France from
1969 to 1974.
Built
in the old Beaubourg area
of the city, it was opened on January 31, 1977.
Designed
by architects Rogers, Piano and Franchinihas,
it is a unique
architectural creation, now an icon of the Parisian landscape. All
functional elements such as elevators, escalators, stairways, heating
ducts form the building's exterior texture and are painted in bold primary
colours. The interior space is 80,000 square feet and six stories high. |
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The Centre Pompidou broke the mould with its "inside out" construction.
The steel skeleton from which the floors are suspended, are visible from
the outside, together with the giant external escalators, and the
colour-coded service ducts on view both inside and out. Now that the
appearance of these are no longer shocking, attention focuses on how they
are done. Twenty years, on the escalator remains a phenomenon, and the
plaza continues to thrive, but the exhibition spaces themselves, and the
rather dry, regular block shape of the overall building, have lost some of
their initial impact. |
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The
plaza, a huge expanse of cobblestone is an opening in an otherwise dense
urban area. The grade tilts gradually down toward the museum entrance.
There is nowhere to sit, but crowds gather to watch street performers, to
meet and chat, or wait for their friends. This lack of seating is a boon
to the cafes that ring the area. Here is where you can just sit back,
enjoy a drink, and just watch the world go by, as there
is always something to look at, from fire eaters to jugglers, street
singers and travelling mime artists. |
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 The
centre averages 25,000 visitors a day, many more than was initially
predicted. The Centre has recently undergone substantial renovations and
reorganization. The relocation of the administration to the opposite side
of the street has enabled the Modern Art Museum to be doubled in size,
also the Public Information Library now occupies three floors and has a
separate entrance. |
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When you first see it, it seems so unreal and unfitting in the centre of
Paris. A building made of glass, with lifts and air conditioning shafts
sticking out on the sides. Yet it is a home to a huge collection of modern
art. You can find paintings by Matisse, Chagall, Miro, Picasso, Braque,
Kandinsky and many other famous name of the 20th century. It takes about 3
hours to see the main collection, plus there are also some exhibitions on
the top floor which may require a further entrance fee. |
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The
Centre Pompidou's success stems from its array of activities
attracting not only one time tourists, but local Parisians to its complex.
The building houses not only a collection of multi media, modern, and
contemporary art, but is also a conference centre. There are several
children's play areas, a public information library, a current affairs
room, a replica of Brancusi's sculpture studio, which has its own
entrance, two restaurants, and a Terrance with views of Paris and the
crowded public square below. |
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