National Center for Art and Culture in Paris. National Center for Art and Culture Georges Pompidou in Paris, France

Georges Pompidou Center for Art and Culture(or it is also called Beaubourg) is one of the most impressive and controversial buildings in Paris.

This Cultural Center open to visitors daily from 11.00 to 21.00. There is an entrance fee, but it is quite inexpensive. There are a lot of people who want to visit this place, so it’s best to come about an hour before opening.

Although I do not consider myself a fan of abstract art, the museum has something to see even for people who are far from art at all. I don’t really like or understand contemporary art, but the exhibits and the very appearance of the Georges Pompidou Center amazed me.

The center is located in the Beaubourg quarter, between the Marais and Les Halles quarters. The idea of creating this center belongs to former president France - Georges Pompidou.

The center is considered the same cultural landmark of France as, for example, the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre.

In the square near the center there is a free entertainment, where everyone can watch the performances of circus performers and musicians.

This modern building it is about 166 m long, 60 m wide and 42 m high. The center was built according to an innovative design by architects Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, which was selected in a competition from 680 works. Unusual idea architects was to locate all pipelines, various fittings, escalators and even elevators outside the building, thereby increasing the usable area inside the building. The building looks like it's turned inside out.

The reinforcement connections on the building are painted White color, ventilation pipes are painted blue, electrical wiring is yellow, elevators and escalators are red, and water pipes are green.

On the square to the right of the center there is an original and funny Tingelly fountain, in which multi-colored figures spin.

When we were inside this unusual building, it felt like we were inside some kind of huge mechanism.

There are a total of 5 floors in the Georges Pompidou Center. There is a cinema on the ground floor of the center. The public library occupies two floors with a huge collection of books, CDs, films and other video files. The third and fourth floors of the building are occupied by the Museum of Contemporary Art, whose collection includes about 60,000 works by more than 5,000 authors. There is painting, design, sculpture, architecture, photography, installations and much more. You can’t even list everything.

Located on the fifth floor Large gallery, where temporary exhibitions are most often shown. There is also a large concert hall and the Institute for Research in Acoustics and Music.

In general, all the exhibits in the museum are very interesting to look at; here you can even watch a short film about art.

This museum presents the most incredible and daring thoughts of abstractly thinking people: various products made from garbage, iron bottles, cardboard and other similar materials. Personally, it was not always clear to me what exactly the author wanted to express with his work.

There is a small cafe in the center where you can refresh yourself.

In this center you can see, so to speak, the non-standard side of art or simply expand your horizons. Everything is perfectly organized and the excursion is not tiring at all.

In 1969, French President Georges Pompidou proposed the idea of opening a new cultural institute in Paris, which would be represented by contemporary art collections.

It is now the largest art venue in Europe, where visitors can enjoy more than 50,000 works and masterpieces by Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp and Joan Miró. You must visit the Pompidou Center when in Paris and explore the art of the late 19th and 20th centuries, including the movements of Fauvism, Cubism, Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism. The structure itself is an architectural masterpiece, which has all its internal amenities: an elevator, air conditioning and pipelines on the facade.

Pomipidou Center in the capital of France

In 1971, competition for this new cultural center attracted over six hundred applications. The winning design was submitted by architects Gianfranco Franchini, Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, which won thanks to the idea of moving functional elements, such as air conditioning escalators and plumbing outside the structure, which free up interior space for displaying works of art.

The process of building this glass structure almost in the very center of the city (Beaubourg quarter) faced a huge amount of opposition. People did not appreciate the idea of building an oil factory in the historical district of the city. But in the early winter of 1977, when the project officially opened, it was an instant success, attracting 5,000 visitors a day. Today, the Pompidou Center receives more than 25 thousand people a day, making it one of the most visited places in the French capital.

The Pompidou Center is perhaps the most famous museum current art. It also contains a very famous library, a bookstore, a balcony with panoramic views and a cinema. Its library boasts a collection of more than 400 thousand books, two and a half thousand magazines and a huge amount of new multimedia.

The library is located on the first floors of the building, while the sculptures and museum collection are located on the fourth and fifth floors. The upper and lower floors are intended for large exhibitions. The museum has one of the most important collections of contemporary art. About 60 thousand of his works cover the art period of the 20th century. The 4th floor covers artistic movements of the 20th century, such as Fauvism, Abstract Art, Surrealism and Cubism. Some of the artists exhibited there include Matisse, Miro and Pablo Picasso.

What to see at the Pompidou

Exhibitions:

Many masterpieces that stretch across all floors of the Pompidou Center, where you can get acquainted with all current trends in art. This place is definitely intended for art lovers with more unusual tastes. Most of the masterpieces are made from interactive video and images, for printing and painting.

Fountain named after Stravinsky:

The Stravinsky Fountain is a custom fountain that is located between Saint-Merri (church) and the Pompidou Center. This unusual brightly colored fountain features 16 creations and sculptures, powered by free underground water. Created by sculptors Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle in 1983, it is perhaps the most iconic of Parisian fountains and fits perfectly with its location.

The library, which is located in the Pompidou Center, is divided into two parts. The first is a library with public information, which is open in free access. The second focuses on Scientific research and documentation related to contemporary art. Both parts are a great place for those who want to order a few studies, or just look around a huge collection of information.

Did you know?

Tender for best project for the building he collected more than 600 applications from architects.
Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers were unknowns before the opening of the Pompidou Center.
Most French people are not happy with the design of the building. They draw analogies with a boiler room or an oil factory.
Although the Pompidou Center is art Gallery, its two libraries occupy three floors of the building.

Main characteristics:

50 thousand masterpieces of art.
Works by Pablo Picasso, Duchamp, Ernst and Joan Miró among many others.
Photo exhibition, exhibition of works by Man Ray and Robert Doisneau.
Incredible panorama of Paris from the top terrace on the second floor.

The opening hours of the Pompidou Center are from 11:00 to 22:00, every day except Tuesday.

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Metro: Rambuteau or Hotel de Ville RER: Chatelet - Les Halles
Working hours: from 11:00 to 21:00, closed on Tuesdays
Entrance: 12€, 9€ from 18 to 25 years old, under 18 years old free.
Ticket only to the observation deck - 3 €.
Website: www.centrepompidou.fr

The Pompidou Center, located in the Beaubourg quarter of the fourth arrondissement of Paris between the famous ancient quarters of Les Halles and Marais, is undoubtedly considered the pearl of French modern art. Built in 1977" National Center art and culture named after Georges Pompidou" (this is the official name of the Georges Pompidou Center), which surprised Parisians instantly dubbed Pompisaurus and Beaubourg for its too original shapes and designs, annually attracts millions of tourists from all over the world.

And the history of the creation of this complex, similar to a multi-colored glass and metal space plant, is no less interesting than its appearance itself.

French President Georges Pompidou, already at the very beginning of his reign, decided to take a course towards the complete modernization of France, and of course, he political program a visual symbol of modernization was needed. Then the resourceful president announced a competition for the most original architectural project building of the Museum of Modern Art.

The competition received 681 projects from 49 countries, of which the jury was most impressed by the innovative project of Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. The authors proposed moving all technical structures outside the perimeter of the building and thereby freeing up the maximum usable area. The project was approved unanimously, and on December 31, 1977, at midnight, the new museum was inaugurated.

When the building's covering fabrics were torn off at the strike of the clock, a monster was revealed to the surprised gaze of Parisians, with all the pipelines, elevators, escalators and fittings being routed outside. Water pipes have been painted green, ventilation - blue, electrical wiring - yellow, and elevators and escalators - red.

The people of Paris were shocked. This ultra unusual building did not at all resemble a museum, even one of modern art. Conservative Parisians did not want to put up with Pompisaurus spoiling architectural ensemble their exquisite city and at first the most active townspeople even staged pickets near the building. But after just a few months of the museum’s operation, it became a favorite place for tourists.

The Parisians realized that the center of Georges Pompidou did not disfigure their city, but, on the contrary, added a modern twist to it, to which fresh air millions of tourists flock.

But the center attracts tourists not only with its extravagant appearance.
Today the Pompidou Center is 5 floors, two of which are almost entirely devoted to a rich public library with millions of books, disks, video files and microfilms. There are more than 60 thousand volumes of dictionaries alone! There is also literature in Russian, although all this is available only within the Center - you cannot take anything home. There are monitors for watching films and language phones for listening to audio recordings - come and enjoy.

On the ground floor of the Center there is a cinema - a venue for film festivals. The fifth floor, the Grande Galerie, mainly houses temporary exhibitions, while the third and fourth floors are occupied by the Museum of Modern Art.

The Center's collection includes almost 60 thousand works by more than five thousand authors. Absolutely all types of contemporary art are presented here: painting, sculpture, design, photography, architecture, video, performances and installations. And not so long ago, the first comic book appeared here - the original of one of the pages of the story about Tantan, written by the artist Hergé in 1956.

Even if you are more than skeptical about non-standard forms of art, do not deny yourself the pleasure of visiting the Pompidou Center - in addition to our contemporaries, works by great masters of the last century are exhibited here. Among them are Picasso, Matisse, Duchamp, Kandinsky, Chagall...

Children will also have something to do: there are art workshops for them, where your child can enthusiastically get dirty with paints or sculptural clay.

And when you take the escalator to the very top, you will see the whole of Paris - from Notre Dame Cathedral to Montmartre Hill!

It is worth mentioning separately the indescribable atmosphere surrounding the Pompidou Center. Immediately after the opening, the Center began to attract the most progressive youth and intellectuals, and artists, traveling circus performers, musicians and performers often gathered on the square in front of the center. International theater festivals are regularly held near the extravagant Stravinsky Fountain near the Center.

(Centre Georges-Pompidou), the ex-president of France, is located at Rue Beaubourg, 9. An extremely atypical creation by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, erected in 1977 to spite all classicists and lovers of antiquity. The concept of the building is intended to emphasize that this is the center of contemporary art: the communications turned outwards do not allow you to forget about this even for a minute.

Exhibition and sections

The main wealth of the Center is its Public library, which occupies three floors and contains, in addition to books and periodicals, thousands of audio discs and documentaries. Admission is free (from the courtyard), but only ticket holders will be able to climb the escalator to , from where you can admire the nearby beauties of Paris and the famous Beaubourg.

One of the reasons for this popularity is the variety of pastimes available here. So, on the second floor of the Georges Pompidou Center, there are two cinemas where retrospectives of film classics are shown. Visitors have the opportunity not only to immerse themselves in this sphere of art - cinema, but also to rest their tired legs so that after the session they can continue the excursion.

The extravagant Atelier Brancusi theater is located in the basement and introduces viewers to new trends in the field of acting and scenography. There are workshops where professionals work with young creators.

For the hungry, catering outlets of three price categories are open: a budget snack bar on the second floor, a slightly more expensive cafe on the mezzanine (right escalator from the main entrance), and for gourmets - Georges, where you need to reserve a table.

You can purchase art objects, art albums, design books, and souvenir posters on the ground floor in the Printemps design boutique or upstairs in Flammarion Arts Bookstores (these are the 4th and 6th floors). In the vicinity of the museum all year round The carnival does not stop: people perform, sell their paintings, and crowds of traders guarantee that no one will leave without some cute trinket.

Tickets to the Pompidou Center

The cost of visiting the Pompidou Center depends on age:

For adults - 14 euros (museum and exhibitions).
Minors do not require a ticket.
For persons from 18 to 25 years old - 11 euros.
On the first Sunday of the month, admission is free for everyone.

If you want to not only look at the exhibitions, but also learn more about contemporary art in general, we recommend

In the first years of his reign, President Georges Pompidou decided to take a course towards modernizing the state, and this direction necessarily required an original and interesting symbol. The President did not make loud speeches, promising something that may not be entirely achievable, but took a significantly deliberate step - he decided to create architectural center in Paris, which would go down in history.

Pompidou proposed a competition for the most non-standard project for a museum of modern art. More than six hundred projects from several countries took part in this competition. The French chose the ideological ideas of R. Piano and R. Rogers - they designed a very unusual building. For their architectural designs voted unanimously, and on December 31, 1977, a gala event was held in honor of the opening of the Pompidou Center. As the chimes struck, the curtain fell and an extravagant structure was revealed to the public.

The building itself was built according to modern technologies and has a very significant size for the center of Paris. So, its length is more than 165 meters, width - 60 meters, and height - more than 41 meters. The unusual idea of the project architects was to place all the structural elements of the building with outside, which made it possible to obtain the largest usable area. The fittings are painted white, ventilation pipelines are painted blue, water pipes are painted green, electrical connections are painted yellow, and lifting devices are painted red.

About the Pompidou Center

The Center Georges Pompidou is the National Art Center in Paris and can be reached by metro. The work of this center is based on the study and development of modern and 20th century art. This fine arts, dancing, musical art and other.

The Pompidou Center is considered the third most popular among tourists who visit Paris after famous Louvre And Eiffel Tower. The Pompidou Center houses the Museum of Modern Art, a huge library, concert and exhibition venues, and the Institute for Research and Coordination of Acoustics and Music. A significant area in front of the museum was occupied by artists, wandering circus performers etc. By right side from the museum on Stravinsky Square there is a beautiful fountain.

Visiting hours for the Center can be found on the Museum's official website. Admission for adults is paid, and for children it is free. With a Paris Museum Pass, admission is free.

What can you find in the museum?

The Pompidou Center is of interest to tourists from all countries not only because of its unusual appearance, but also popular due to its internal content. On the 1st floor of the museum there is a cinema; modern film festivals and demonstrations of so-called Art house cinema are often held there.

On the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building there is a large public library, which contains great amount books and photo, video materials, as well as Russian literature. All books are provided exclusively for reading in the reading room; taking literature with you is prohibited. There are also video screens for viewing photographs and videos, and language devices for listening to audio files.

On the 3rd and 4th floors is the Museum of Modern Art, which has a collection of no less than sixty thousand works of art from more than 5,000 artists and designers. Here you can meet works of art, design elements, architecture, unique photos and video, spatial compositions, and more. On the fifth floor of the Museum there is a huge gallery where temporary exhibitions are shown.

Where can you shop and eat?

The Pompidou Center on the lower floors has several art boutiques, on subsequent floors you can purchase interesting literature on design and art history, souvenirs and more.

The Printemps boutique, which is located on the 1st floor of the building, is a real find for connoisseurs of works from famous designers.

If you just want to have a snack, you can visit the cafe, which is located on the 2nd floor of the Center. You can try sandwiches, pizza and sweets here, but the price tags are a little higher compared to simple bistros in Paris. However, paying a certain amount for the atmosphere is quite justified.

If you want to eat while enjoying the views of Paris, reserve a seat at the Georges restaurant.
The 2nd floor of the Pompidou Museum houses a snack bar - this is a more accessible and inexpensive establishment, which is intended for those who want a quick snack.

Conclusion

Having finished viewing the exhibitions, you should go up to the top floor and see Paris in all its glory and do beautiful photos city from the opening panorama. There is an observation deck here that offers an amazing view of Paris. To get to this site it is better to use an escalator, because you can enjoy the climb unusual appearance Museum.

It is difficult to dispute such an advantage of the Pompidou Museum as the presence of places where children can have a fun time. Art workshops are open for them at the Center, where a child can practice painting or sculpting if desired.

To fully imagine what is worth looking at at the Pompidou Center on the Internet, users can find on the official website of the Museum many interesting photo and video materials presented in the Center for Works of Art. The museum workers tried to present extensive photo and video material, thanks to which everyone can admire one or another collection of the Museum even before visiting it. In particular, users will be able to view high-quality photos of the building itself from the outside and photos of the halls that are located directly in the building.