Centre Georges Pompidou
The Parisian National Centre for culture and art, Georges Pompidou owns ones of the biggest collections for modern and contemporary art as it offers more than 100 000 masterpieces. Established within the period between 1971 and 1977 year in the French capital, the Centre has been named by the French president Georges Pompidou, who’s the creator of the idea for the building.
Paintings, photographs, visual pieces of art, experimental movies, architecture and design – all of these represent some of the most valuable masterpieces created in 20th and 21st century and placed in Georges Pompidou. The architecture of the Centre, itself, is quite futuristic, by the way as it includes pipelines, electricity posts, metal bridges and you name it, all put on a display.
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What can we see in Georges Pompidou Centre?
National museum of contemporary art
The national museum of contemporary art represents one of the most significant collections from today’s modern world of art. There are also premises that are devoted to pop art, arte povera (poor art), as well as to some individual artists such as Eve Klein and Jean Dubuffet. Don’t miss the chance to visit the specially tailored section with modern pieces of art (1905-1960) where you can see paintings by Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, Jacques Deyrois-Du Roure, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse and many more. Besides paintings, the museum shows you lots of sculptures and furniture. There are also specially tailored halls with art installations and performance spaces.
La Fabrique
La Fabrique is a manufacturing lab that offers to everyone the chance to turn his or her idea in a digital model and then to realize it with 3D printer without the necessity of being a designer, painter, entrepreneur or just an art lover. The entire manufacturing chain is accessible to all – young people, kids and adults.
Galerie des enfants
Galerie des enfants offers an exhibiting zone available for all artistic disciplines. Here is where kids over 2 years old, as well as their families, can both: see and experiment. Each year two new workshops are presented to the audience – exhibitions that are developed by contemporary artists. They are interactive and extremely entertaining, allowing kids to get to know the specific artist, architect, dancer, designer, musician or writer and share an individual approach to art, as well as personal artistic practices.
“Atelier des Enfants”
Atelier des Enfants is an atelier where you develop your own imagination, curiosity and knowledge about art and creativity, specially tailored for kids between 2 and 10 years old. The atelier includes various workshops for creative techniques and a tour around the museum with the company of dancers, musicians and actors. This special tour is arranged every Wednesday, during the weekends and the national school holidays.
Studio 13/16
Studio 13/16 offers free programs for an exchange of practical experience with artists and is available to kids between 13 and 16 years old. The programs include all the aspects of contemporary art – visual arts, dancing, music, movies, games and video making, as well as new methods for digital broadcasting, fashion, design, books and you name it. Once in a while seminars with artists and studio parties are arranged.
Atelier of Brancusi
Atelier of Brancusi, the sculptor is where you can see 41 drawings, 137 sculptures, 2 paintings and more than 1 600 glaze photographs and original stamps. A bit before his death in 1953 year, the Romanian sculptor had willed his atelier to the French country with one simple condition – the government will restore it completely. Thus, in 1977 year the atelier was moved to Centre Georges Pompidou.
Kandinsky Library
Kandinsky Library is a research and document center, which is a part of the National museum for modern art. In addition to these, it’s also one of the most significant libraries that specialize in art and where all visual art types, made between 20th and 21st century, are presented. Check out how to get an access to the library here.
Restaurants and shops
- Restaurant Georges – the most famous and luxurious restaurant in the Centre
- Mezzanine Café – a lovely café located at level 1
- Centre Pompidou Store – and interesting souvenir shop
- Bookshops – there are plenty of them on almost any floor. You can find books for art, design, architecture and photography in each.
- Cinemas – here you can enjoy experimental movies, dancing and documentary movies, as well as some even more extraordinary things.
What should I know before visiting Pompidou Centre?
- Buy a ticket online in advance in order to save some time while waiting on a queue
- If you want a guide tour, book a ticket at least 5 weeks earlier
- In Pompidou Centre there are art events arranged on a regular basis and to find out which one you can see, check out the Centre’s calendar
- The museum works every day, excluding Tuesday, 1st of May
- Each first Sunday from the month the museum offers free entrance, but, it’s the time when the crowd of tourists is the bigger
- It’s better to see the Centre from top to bottom
- Pompidou Centre, the Atelier of Brancusi and the library are with different working times, so check out each of them in advance
- The coffee offered in the building is quite expensive, which is why I recommend you to grab a coffee before or after entering the Centre
Tickets
- Preliminary purchase – these tickets allow you to avoid the queues and are valid within 12 months after the purchase date
- Museum, exhibitions and a view to Paris – the access to all of the exhibitions, the museum, the Kid’s gallery and a view to Paris
- View to Paris – access to the view only
- Access for 1 or 2 years – offers a wide range of information and services significant for the world of art
- There are also individual tickets that are specially tailored for temporary exhibitions, concerts and performances
Group visits
- A group of at least 7 people can take the benefits of discounts for the tickets
- The tours can be arranged with or without a guide and the duration is always an hour and a half
- A group between 16 and 25 people gets free audioguide
Tours
- To find the museum and the in-house amazing collection of modern and contemporary art, please select a tour with a guide. You can find such for the exhibitions, too, which are arranged in the Centre on a regular basis. The first Sunday of the month is always free of charge
- Theme tours for adults. They are arranged in French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Chinese languages
- There are also tours specially tailored for blind people and those with impaired hearing. A reservation in advance (at least one week before) is a must.
- Tours for students and school classes
Free entrance in Pompidou Centre for:
- People under 18 years old – no ticket is needed
- Citizens of EU between 18 and 25 years old – free ticket
- People with disabilities, as well as their companions – no ticket is needed
- Jobless people and seniors – free tickets
- Paris Museum Pas owners – no ticket
Accessibility
Pompidou Centre is accessible to people with wheelchairs, as well as to blind people with guide dogs.
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