CENTRE GEORGES-POMPIDOU

Description

Essentials about the Centre Georges-Pompidou in brief

The Centre national d’art et de culture Georges-Pompidou, usually just called the Centre Pompidou for short, is probably the most idiosyncratic and unusual building in Paris, next to the Eiffel Tower, and should be an integral part of a trip to the French capital, not just for those interested in culture. The unusual thing about the building, designed by star architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, is that the supporting structure and the pipes for the building services and the building’s circulation system are clearly visible and colorfully painted on the outside. The core of the Centre Pompidou is the Musée National d’Art Moderne (the Museum of Modern Art) with its world-famous collection of 20th century art.

The history and architecture of the Centre Georges-Pompidou

The Centre Georges-Pompidou dates back to an initiative of the French president of the same name, who wanted to strengthen the role of Paris as an international art metropolis vis-à-vis New York City and build a representative museum for 20th century art. Another reason for the construction stemmed from the need to relieve the old Paris National Library. In 1972, construction of the Centre Pompidou began. Five years later, the opening was celebrated.

For those who are interested: the supporting structure and ventilation pipes are white, stairs and escalators are red, electrics are yellow, water pipes are green and air conditioning is blue. The advantage of this construction method is that the large usable areas inside the building are largely free of supports and can therefore be used more flexibly. Because of its many pipes, the Centre Pompidou is also called “La Raffinerie” by many locals.

The facilities of the Centre Georges-Pompidou

As the full name of the Centre Pompidou suggests, it is a state art and cultural center. The most important part of the Centre is the Musée National d’Art Moderne (the Museum of Modern Art), which houses a large number of important works of art from the 20th century. Attached to the museum is a center for industrial design. The Centre Pompidou also houses the Bibliothèque Publique d’Information with over 400,000 media and 2,000 reading places and the music research center IRCAM. Furthermore, the building complex houses a children’s workshop, a cinema, a theater and lecture halls, a bookstore, a restaurant and a café. The squares to the west and south of the building are very busy on almost every day, as street performers often appear here. Also, on the south side is Stravinsky Fountain, designed by world-renowned artists Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely.