Centre Georges Pompidou

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The Centre Georges Pompidou (constructed 1971–1977 and known as the Pompidou Centre in English) is a building in the Beaubourg area of the IVe arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles and the Marais.

It houses the Bibliothèque publique d'information, a vast public library, and the Musée National d'Art Moderne. Because of its location, the Centre is known locally as Beaubourg. It is named after Georges Pompidou, who was president of France from 1969 to 1974, and was opened on January 31, 1977. Under the guidance of its first director, Pontus Hultén, it quickly became a noted attraction in Paris.

Contents 1 Design 2 Musée National d'Art Moderne 3 Bibliothèque publique d'information 4 Stravinsky Fountain 5 Place Georges Pompidou 6 Public transport 7 Miscellaneous 8 External links

[edit] Design

Designed by Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers, Sue Rogers, Edmund Happold and Peter Rice, the building structure is very distinctive: it has been described by critics as "an oil refinery in the centre of the city."^{[citation needed]} In the beginning, it was highly controversial; however, its unique appearance has become more accepted. The colored external piping is the special feature of the building. Air conditioning ducts are green; water pipes are blue; and electricity lines are yellow. Escalators and elevators are red. White ducts are ventilation shafts for the underground areas. Even the steel beams that make up the Pompidou Centre's framework are on the outside.

The intention of the architects was to place the various service elements (electricity, water etc.) outside of the building's framework and therefore turn the building "inside out." The arrangement also allows an uncluttered internal space for the display of art works, drawing on ideas promulgated by Cedric Price's Fun Palace project (1964).

From Place Georges Pompidou

Exterior of the Musée

Ventilation ductwork

Centre, with the surrounding area

[edit] Musée National d'Art Moderne

The Musée National d'Art Moderne is the French national modern art museum located on the fourth and fifth floors of the Centre. Organisationally, it is associated with IRCAM, the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique, which is located nearby.

The museum has a major international collection of modern art by artists such as Kandinsky, Matisse, Miró, Picasso, etc. Some of the art movements represented are Fauvism, Cubism, Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism. It has 50,000 works of art (including painting, sculpture, drawing, and photography), of which 1,500 to 2,000 are on public display.

Also located here is the Centre of Industrial Design. 20th century architecture and design are covered. The museum has a rolling program of important temporary exhibitions.

Main hall of the Musée

Main hall of the Musée

Interior corridor of the Musée

"Manège" exhibition, by Claude Closky

[edit] Bibliothèque publique d'information

The first three floors of the Centre houses a library, the Bibliothèque publique d'information.

[edit] Stravinsky Fountain

The nearby Stravinsky Fountain (also called the Fontaine des automates), features works by Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint-Phalle.

Video footage of the fountain appeared frequently throughout the French language telecourse, French in Action.

La Sirène

[edit] Place Georges Pompidou

The Place Georges Pompidou in front of the museum is noted for the presence of street performers, such as mimes and jugglers.

Street artist in front of the Centre

Place Georges Pompidou at dusk

[edit] Public transport

___	get off at metro stations: Rambuteau or Les Halles.

• RER Châtelet - Les Halles

[edit] Miscellaneous

• The Beaubourg's brutalist architecture may have been an inspiration for the similarly-named Borg cube.
• In 1978, the Greek artist Vangelis created an album named Beaubourg (album), that is supposed to be a musical representation of the Centre Pompidou, and to reflect life in the Beaubourg area of Paris, where Vangelis lived in the early '70s.
• The exterior escalators at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles, California, USA, bear a striking resemblance to the escalators at the Centre Pompidou.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Centre Georges Pompidou

• Centre Pompidou official website
• Bibliothèque publique d'information website
• Paris Pages — Musée National d'Art Moderne
• Photographs of the Pompidou Centre
• Photos of the Pompidou Centre, Paris
• Centre Pompidou Visiting Information
• Photographs of Beaubourg and its district

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 48.860653° 2.352411°
  • Satellite image from WikiMapia or Google Local
  • Street map from Multimap or GlobalGuide
  • Aerial image from TerraServer

Popular visitor attractions in Paris
Arc de Triomphe • Cathedral of Notre Dame • Centre Georges Pompidou • Champs-Élysées • Conciergerie • Eiffel Tower • Grand Palais • Jardin du Luxembourg • Les Invalides • Louvre • Musée d'Orsay • Opéra Garnier • Père Lachaise Cemetery