Centre Pompidou

Georges Pompidou National Center for Art and Culture is one of the top 3 attractions in Paris, receiving 4-6 million visitors annually. It is second only to the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower in terms of attendance. The industrial-style building is located in the Beaubourg neighborhood (4th arrondissement). The Pompidou Center’s activities are dedicated to the study and support of contemporary art in all its manifestations: painting, sculpture, installations, music, dance.

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Video: Center Pompidou

Contents

History of the Pompidou Center

Georges Pompidou, after whom one of Europe’s largest cultural centers is named, was not just the president of the Fifth Republic, but also a literary scholar, a teacher of literature, and a famous connoisseur of art. It was he who had the idea of creating a multifunctional exhibition space where the best artists of our time and emerging talents could unite. In 1969, a competition for the best architectural solution was announced, in which more than 680 projects from 49 countries took part.

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The international commission gave first place to the team of Richard Rogers (UK), Gianfranco Franchini and Renzo Piano (Italy). The building became popularly known simply as the Pompidou or Beaubourg. Construction was completed at the end of 1977 – the opening ceremony of the cultural center was held on December 31. Already since February 2, the site was available to visitors. In the 70s and 80s, a number of major exhibitions were held here, which made the Pompidou Center famous as an international exposition center for the arts.

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In 1992, Beaubourg underwent a global reorganization, establishing a cultural development department, merging with the Museum of Industrial Design. As a result, a library was opened at the Pompidou, and a rich program of live performances, educational lectures, film screenings, and symposia was created. In 1997-1999, the cultural center was undergoing renovation and restoration, and work was underway to expand the gallery for permanent exhibitions. As a result, the area of the building increased from 7.5 to 10 thousand m².

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On January 1, 2000, Georges Pompidou National Center for Art and Culture reopened its doors to the public. In 2010, its branch in Metz was inaugurated, and in 2015, its branch in Malaga.

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Features of the architectural solution

The architects took the unusually bold artistic step of bringing all communications to the outside of the building. This at the same time allowed to significantly increase the internal usable area. The viewer sees a rectangular high-tech structure made of glass and white metal frames, covered with blue ventilation ducts, green plumbing, and yellow electrical pipes. Red elevator and escalator cabs move among this mottling.

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The building has 10 levels, covering 10,000 square meters. Contemporaries were extremely dissatisfied with the appearance of the cultural center, believing that it uglifies the ancient district of the city. Critics were quite harsh, comparing the building to an oil refinery. As in the case of the Eiffel Tower, over time the Parisians changed from anger to mercy, and the Pompidou Center became one of the French capital’s calling cards.

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What to see

  • The Brancusi Workshop (Atelier Brancusi)-a basement where conferences, offbeat performances, debates, and other dynamic program events are usually held.
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  • The cinemas are located on the first floor of the Pompidou Center. Retrospectives, arthouse films, short films are regularly shown here, and festivals of various sizes are held. There is also a souvenir store downstairs.
  • The library occupies the second and part of the third floor. Here are collected millions of books, video and audio about art, about 2.5 thousand periodicals. Presented a lot of literature in Russian. Additionally, there are places for listening, viewing multimedia files.
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  • Museum of Modern Art is located on the third and fourth floors. The gallery boasts a collection of 60 thousand works. Sculpture, painting, photography, design, installations, performances are exhibited here. The real jewelry of the collection are the originals of the greatest artists of the XX century: Picasso, Modigliani, Matisse, Kandinsky, Miro.
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  • The Gallery (Grande Galerie), equipped on the fifth floor, is designed for temporary exhibitions of contemporary authors.
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  • The observation deck on the roof of the Pompidou Center offers spectacular panoramas of the city. Visitors have the opportunity to admire several neighborhoods of the French capital at once: from the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris to Montmartre.
    • The square is the space in front of the building that has long been favored by amateur circus performers, free artists, musicians and other entertainers. Every day there are tons of entertaining performances to be seen here.

Tourists

In between exploring the exhibitions in the cultural center you can have a snack. There is an atmospheric bistro in the second floor mezzanine offering pizza, sandwiches, desserts and drinks. The prices here are slightly higher than in other similar establishments in Paris. The most budget-friendly establishment is located on the second floor of the library, offering visitors a snack of sandwiches and snacks.

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Planning a substantial lunch? Pre-book a table at the Georges restaurant, which offers great views of the city. You can make a reservation by phone: +33 (0) 1 44 78 47 99. The restaurant is open from 12:00 to 2:00.

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Art connoisseurs will love the Pompidou boutiques. The Flammarion arts bookstores are downstairs, while the 4th and 6th floors offer a large selection of design and other creative books, gifts, and posters. The Printemps boutique offers a variety of original designer pieces.

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You can go to the cultural center as a family, even if your child is still young, to appreciate the aesthetics of contemporary art. The Beaubourg building has exciting clubs and art workshops where you can leave your little one for a while. Here, your child can get sculpting and painting lessons while you enjoy a leisurely stroll through the gallery.

There is a checkroom in the building, which is open from 11:00 to 21:50. Upon presentation of your ticket, you can drop off your outerwear for free. If you forget your belongings, you can return for them within 48 hours. After that, everything is handed over to the Lost and Found Bureau at the police station. On the first floor there is a cheap rental of wheelchairs or baby strollers. Please note that it is forbidden to bring some items through. You will have to leave in the luggage room:

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  • baby carriers, cane umbrellas, suitcases and large backpacks, helmets;
  • any items whose dimensions are larger than 35x30x15 centimeters;
  • selfie sticks, tripods, and camera flashes.

The entrance to the library is from the courtyard. There’s usually a whole line of tourists and Parisians lined up here, but it’s easy to minimize the waiting time by arriving by 18.00-19.00. Citizens of all countries can visit the library absolutely free of charge.

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Contacts

Address: Place Georges-Pompidou 75004, Paris.

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Phone: + 33 (0)1 44 78 12 33.

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To see the current schedule of events, please visit the official website of the Centre Pompidou.

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Opening hours of the Centre Pompidou

  • 11.00-22.00 – every day, except Tuesdays and May 1.
  • 11.00-21.00 – opening hours of the museum, the local tour desk (the ticket office closes at 20.00), the Atelier Brancusi premises.
  • 12.00-22.00 – library schedule on weekdays (Tuesday is a non-business day).
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  • 11.00-22.00 – library hours on weekends and holidays.
  • 11.00-23.00 – “Thursday Nights” in Gallery 1.
  • 11 a.m.-7 p.m. – December 24 and 31.

Prices

  • Full day ticket – 14 euros.
  • Visitors between 18 and 25 years of age – 11 euros.
  • Persons under 18 years of age – free of charge.
  • Concerts – from 10 to 18 euros (for visitors 18-25 years old – 10-14 euros).
  • Cinema – €6 (€4 for 18-25 year olds).
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  • Observation deck – 5 euros.
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  • Entrance on every first Sunday of the month – free of charge.

You can buy a two-day pass to visit several Parisian museums at once for 49 euros. In this case, for admission to the Pompidou Center will not have to pay extra. Exceptions are certain events that are not included in the price of such an extended ticket. On the official website of the museum there is an opportunity to purchase a Pass Solo card, which can be activated within a year from the date of purchase. It provides:

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  • access to new and permanent exhibitions;
  • free access to conferences and movie screenings (subject to pre-registration);
  • discounted tickets to concerts, shows, tours, workshops;
  • discounts on goods in the stores of the cultural center;
  • mailing of invitations to upcoming events;
  • special offers from Bobur’s partners.

How to get there

The easiest way to get to the Pompidou Center from any part of Paris is by cab. It is enough to tell the driver the address or show a note with it. Cheaper will cost cheaper public transportation, which allows you to pick up the route, based on where you live. On the metro you need to get off at Rambuteau station (branch 11), at Hotel de Ville (branch 11 or 1) or at Les Halles (branch 4).

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You can also take the RER train. Traveling on branch A, B or D, you must get off at the Chatelet-Les-Halles stop. Another option is the bus. Use routes nos. 21, 29, 38, 58, 69, 69, 47, 70, 72, 72, 74, 76, 81, 85, 96.

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