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.
Design
Designed by Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers and Gianfranco Franchini, the building structure is very distinctive: it has been described by critics as "an oil refinery in the centre of the city". In the beginning, it was highly controversial, however its unique appearance has become more accepted. The coloured external piping is the special feature of the building. Air conditioning ducts are blue, water pipes are green and electricity lines are yellow. Escalators 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).
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 programme of important temporary exhibitions.
Bibliothèque publique d'information
The first three floors of the Centre houses a library, the Bibliothèque publique d'information.
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.
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.
Public transport
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.
External links
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