The Pompidou Centre is one of the most daring modern art museums in France and perhaps even in the world. The centre was the brainchild of French President Georges Pompidou who wanted to create a unique cultural institution in France, the end result was a cutting edge museum dedicated to contemporary art. Where brush strokes are side by side with key strokes; the Pompidou Centre explores the length and breadth of contemporary art by showcasing visual art, music, cinematography and literature.
The ideology behind the construction of the centre was to bring art and culture into the realm of the common man and the bold architectural design of the building was envisioned as a way of appealing to the minds of the public. Though the building is located in one of Paris’s oldest and most historic locales with buildings such as the Notre Dome Cathedral in the neighborhood, the architecture clashes violently with the surroundings, which makes its presence even more pronounced.
Known as a construction that turned the course of modern architecture upside down, from afar the building’s steel and concrete, brightly coloured tubes and transparent glass gives it the impression of being an unfinished construction. The area in front of the museum is known as the Place Georges Pompidou, this is an area dedicated to street performers such as jugglers, musicians and mimes. During spring time open air carnivals featuring bands, singers, theatre groups and even skate boarding competitions are hosted here.
The Pompidou Centre boasts of an extensive collection of modern art works including those by Picasso, Braque, Max Ernst, Magritte, Chagall, Matisse, Delaunay, Kandinsky and Klee. The public library inside the Pompidou centre is very popular among the locals and occupies the first three floors of the building. The library has a collection of over 45,000 contemporary works of literature by authors all over the world and also has copies of over 2,500 periodical magazines.
Located in an interesting part of Paris, it is possible to spend the entire day exploring the Pompidou Centre and adjoining areas such as Le Marais, Les Halles. Tourists will have no trouble in locating a
hotel in Paris in this historic district.
