Favorite Sites

Centre Pompidou: Pompidou Modern Art Museum

(Pompidou Centre)

Centre Georges Pompidou, also known as the Pompidou Centre, is a complex in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais. It houses the  Bibliothèque publique d'information, a vast public library, the Musée National d'Art Moderne which is the largest museum for modern art in Europe, and IRCAM, a center for music and acoustic research. Because of its location, the Centre is known locally as “the Beaubourg.”

Named for Georges Pompidou, President of France from 1969 to 1974, who commissioned its creation, Centre Pompidou was officially opened in January 1977 by President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.

The overpowering industrial-looking exterior dwarfs its surroundings, and is famous for its brightly colored exterior pipes, ducts, and other exposed services.

Primarily a museum and center for 20^th century visual arts, the Pompidou Centre houses many separate services and activities. Its museum of modern art brought under one roof several public collections of modern art previously housed in a number of other Paris galleries. There are also frequent temporary exhibitions devoted to modern themes.

The Pompidou Centre Metz, an outpost of the centre in northeast France, opened in May 2010. The Metz’s collection is devoted to modern art and includes works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Joan Miró.

Centre d’Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou

Intersection of Rue de Renard & Rue St Merri, Paris 4th

Tél: 01 4478 1233

Métro: #11 Rambuteau; # 1, 4, 14 Chatelet; #4 Les Halles; #1 & 11 Hotel de Ville

Bus: 21, 29, 38, 47, 58, 69, 70, 72, 74, 75, 76, 81, 85, 96

Parking: There is a garage nearby. Street parking is generally prohibited.

Hours: Closed Tues. Open every day except Tuesdays and May 1st. 11am-9pm, last admission at 8pm

Cost: €12 Ticket entitles you to the Musée National d’Art Moderne & special exhibits.

Guides: Tours of the collections are provided in English every Sunday at 12 a.m. No reservations are required. Tours in French are conducted more frequently. Ask at the desk for times and prices of guided tours.

Handicapped Accessibility: Provisions are made. Telephone in advance for information about accessibility: 01 4478 1673

Eating: On Level 6, Restaurant Georges has some of the finest panoramic views of Paris. To reserve a table: 01 4478 4799. Two fast food options are also available in the centre: the café in the Forum on level 1 and the Bpi Kiosk on level 2.