Centre Pompidou
- Address: Place George Pompidou, Paris
- Hours: Wed - Mon 11am - 9pm, closed Tuesdays and May 1.
- Admission: Adult €12 or €10 depending on the period
ATTRACTION Keywords:
Film & Cinema,
Monument - Modern,
Museum
The Centre Pompidou is a museum dedicated to European contemporary and modern art. Featuring a music hall with live performances, films, theatre, literature, spoken word, and visual art, the Centre Pompidou is one of the most culturally significant and visited attractions in Paris.
A brilliant piece of post-modern architecture, the Centre Pompidou was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano and the British designer Richard Rogers. The design of the museum has an ‘open-approach’ with all of its functional systems (plumbing, electrical, circulation, and climate control) visible and color coded from the outside. Covering 5 acres of land and made up of 15,000 tons of steel lattices, the Centre Pompidou is one of the most impressive sights of Paris.
Featuring the artwork of legends like Matisse, Duchamp, Jackson, and Picasso, the museum provides a thorough history of modern art. With the New Media Collection and Film Center, the Centre Pompidou also showcases the talents of Europe’s fines installation, film, video, and sound artists.
Latest Reviews
Review by Barry S, USA, April 2013
Doing what: Paris Walking Tour: Discover the Marais District
It was a gray day with the Paris skies periodically crying on us. However, our guide Gil Soltz made the trip well worth the visit. We started at the Pompidou Center of Art (which looks like it's still under construction...with all it's 'insides' hanging out). We ended at the site of the Bastille. In between, we wandered the Paris streets, a warren of randomly connected neighborhoods. We lingered at the the Hotel de Ville, the city hall and heard of its many lives. We saw preservation efforts, sites saved, sites lost and replaced with character-less buildings, a church, a Kosher neighborhood, and an eclectic array of shops, restaurants, and architecture. Our guide lives not far from the end of our journey and his love for the area was evident. With our small group of four, it was easy to ask questions and have the tour adapted to our needs. We return to Paris in two week and plan to return to the Marais District to do further looking since we have been well oriented by our guide. Paris is so big, being able to take a 'small bite' like this is very helpful in appreciating why Paris is so well loved.
Review by Dylan T, September 2012
Doing what: Private Viewing and Walking Tour of Pompidou Centre in Paris
Pompidou often gets missed off in favour of the Louvre and Orsay museums, but this is highly recommended, especially for skeptics of contemporary art! A fantastic guide will help you understand some of the key works in the collection in context. I thoroughly enjoyed this.
Practical Info
The Centre Pompidou is in the Beaubourg area of the Paris. As part of the 4th arrondissement (administrative district), it is alongside the Right Bank of the Seine River. The 4th arrondissement is also where City Hall, Notre-Dame, and Place des Vosges are situated.
