Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Europe's largest collection of modern art fills the bright and airy, well-lit galleries of the Na-
tional Museum of Modern Art, covering two complete floors of the Pompidou. For art lov-
ers, this is one of the jewels of Paris. On a par with the permanent collection are the two
temporary exhibition halls (on the ground floor/basement and the top floor), which show-
case some memorable blockbuster exhibits. Also of note is the fabulous children's gallery
on the 1st floor.
The permanent collection changes every two years, but the basic layout generally stays
the same. The 5th floor showcases artists active between 1905 and 1970 (give or take a dec-
ade); the 4th floor focuses on more contemporary creations, roughly from the 1980s onward.
The most recent 5th-floor layout was a refreshing change from the old Eurocentric model.
The dynamic presentation mixed up works by Picasso, Matisse, Chagall and Kandinsky
with lesser-known contemporaries from as far afield as Brazil and China, as well as more
famous cross-Atlantic names such as Rivera, Kahlo, Warhol, Pollock and Rothko.
One floor down on the 4th, you'll find monumental paintings, installation pieces, sculp-
ture and video take centre stage. The focus of the latest exhibition here is on art, architecture
and design from the 1980s onward. The 4th floor also has an Espace des Collections
Nouveaux Médias et Film, where visitors can discover 40 years of image and sound experi-
mentation.
Architecture & Views
Former French President Georges Pompidou wanted an ultracontemporary artistic hub and
he got it: competition-winning architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers designed the
building inside out, with utilitarian features like plumbing, pipes, air vents and electrical
cables forming part of the external facade. The building was completed in 1977.
Viewed from a distance (such as from Sacré-Cœur), the Centre Pompidou's primary-col-
oured, boxlike form amid a sea of muted grey Parisian rooftops makes it look like a child's
Meccano set abandoned on someone's elegant living-room rug. Although the Centre Pomp-
idou is just six storeys high, the city's low-rise cityscape means stupendous views extend
from its roof (reached by external escalators enclosed in tubes). Rooftop admission is in-
cluded in museum and exhibition prices - or buy a panorama ticket (admission €3;
11am-10pm Wed-Mon) just for the roof.
Atelier Brancusi
West of the Centre Pompidou main building, this reconstruction of the studio ( MAP
GOOGLE MAP ; 55 rue Rambuteau, 4e;
Rambuteau) of Romanian-born
2-6pm Wed-Mon;
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