Désolée, mes chers amis, je prends du retard…mais je vais rattraper tout de suite! Pour commencer…CENTRE POMPIDOU, 4e arrondissement (près du 1e, et 15 minutes de notre appart!)

To me, a painter, if not the most useful, is the least harmful member of our society.

Man Ray

On Monday of week two, I felt that I had gone far too long without seeing a museum, so we decided to actually wake up at a reasonable time and head over to Centre Pompidou for a healthy dose of modern art before class in the afternoon. (You can anticipate a picture-heavy post!)

It’s hard to miss…

I remember the first time I learned about Centre Pompidou. It was in my AP Art History class back in 10th grade. We had long passed my favorite art era (baroque and neoclassical) and were finishing up the year with more contemporary works. I was not the hugest fan of modern/post-modern/anything after impressionist art, I’m still not, but when a picture of the Pompidou appeared on the projection screen, I was enraptured. I’m not sure why, maybe because I love architecture and imagined myself walking through the space. I’m pretty sure at that time I didn’t even pay enough attention to know it was an art museum (I think I thought it was a mall/gallery type thing). I remember thinking that someday, when I go to Paris, I want to go there. The unique architecture and outdoor escalator is hard to forget, though I could have sworn there was more red in the photos. The building contrasts with the rest of the city, which is full of finished if not elaborately embellished façades. It bears the insides on the outside, with structural elements exposed.  Centre Pompidou opens at 11 am, and well before then, a line starts to form outside the front entrance. Don’t let that discourage you though, as soon as the clock hits 11, the doors open and everyone is in within a few minutes. In the morning, there will also be vendors and street artists setting up nearby. During the afternoons, the area is buzzing with activity with many street vendors and eclectic performers, from a guy that uses a rope to make giant bubbles to perspective chalk art.

The left portion of the sloped courtyard in front of Pompidou is a favorite hang out spot for the lovely *insert beaucoup de sarcasm here* pigeons of Paris
In this courtyard is also a large Calder piece

Walking in, there is the ticket center (billeterie) off to the left. This main area is filled with what seemed like shops, some food places and either book stores or libraries. I’ll have to go back to check out their collection. There are many different options for tickets, what I assume to be different combinations of permanent collection and special exhibition tickets. With our student pass, however, we were able to visit the permanent collection for free, so I didn’t really pay attention to the other options. All we had to do was walk up to the counter, show our ID, and take the ticket. In this main level and in the second level are I believe a bookstore, library and café. I think they also may have some special exhibitions on the first floor. The brightly labeled entrance area welcomes visitors up into the iconic escalator area, reminiscent of the clear ceilinged Starway at Universal Studios Hollywood.   As we ascended each level, the view got more and more beautiful. On the 4th floor (also known as the 5th floor in America), was the entrance to the permanent collection. As we entered the door, we were reminded in many languages and numerous brightly lit signs that it was indeed, open, ouvert, abierto with Pascale-Marthine Tayou’s installation “Open Wall.” To the left is a small bookstore to fulfill any hipster art student’s dreams (and then crush them with the price tags). And to the right is another ticket entrance into the main collection gallery. My favorite part about modern art is that it is much more engaging and interactive than more traditional classical paintings and sculptures. Not only are they more multimedia, often taking advantage of modern technology, but they also challenge the standards of experiencing art, giving the audience/viewer an experience that involves more than one sense, such as incorporating visual and audio elements. The installation above incorporated sounds, flashing lights, and movement of the chairs and sewing machines.  The art tends to be a lot more approachable yet abstract, and for me, it inspires me to think about the creation process and what the artist wanted to convey (if anything) and why he or she chose to do so in a particular way, whereas with traditional artwork, I just kind of stand there in awe. Another thing I loved about visiting this museum is that first of all, they have a super chill photography policy, and second, photographing modern art can be an art in and of itself. Rather than stress about capturing the entire work in a frame as I do with traditional pieces of art, I found myself experimenting with different angles and having more fun with it–interacting with the art in my own way. The space is carefully planned out so that visitors are walking through and around art. We were able to randomly and cluelessly navigate from room to room without getting lost.

The world changes if you change your perspective
Artists at work

They had a special exhibition on Man Ray, a multimedia artist and well-known photographerin the early 20th century. I very much appreciated the simplistic yet eye-catching design of the gallery itself. [inpost_pixedelic_camera slide_width=”100%” slide_height=”600″ thumb_width=”75″ thumb_height=”75″ post_id=”965″ skin=”camera_ash_skin” alignment=”” time=”7000″ transition_period=”1500″ bar_direction=”leftToRight” data_alignment=”topLeft” easing=”linear” slide_effects=”simpleFade” grid_difference=”250″ thumbnails=”1″ pagination=”0″ auto_advance=”1″ hover=”1″ play_pause_buttons=”1″ pause_on_click=”1″ id=”1,2,3,4″ random=”0″ group=”0″ show_in_popup=”0″ album_cover=”” album_cover_width=”200″ album_cover_height=”200″ popup_width=”800″ popup_max_height=”600″ popup_title=”Gallery” type=”pixedelic_camera” sc_id=”sc1405632342055″] Before venturing up to the next level of the permanent collection, we took a break outside and found the most beautiful work of art the Pompidou will ever offer. The second level mainly focuses on later works, post 1965.

I want my bedroom wall to look like this
Matisse

Picasso
Calder

Mondrian
Petit Calder
Picasso…

Pollock
Casual Chair on Wall (I just made that up)

All in all, it was a lovely experience visiting Centre Pompidou and I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in modern art. I believe their collection is second only to MOMA, and they are constantly rotating what is displayed so each visit will be unique. We were able to get through most of the permanent collection in about three hours, so this would be perfect incorporated into a day in the Marais or paired with shopping at Les Halles, or of course, before class as we did! There are a lot of people visiting, but it isn’t distractingly busy, like the Louvre. The main collection of the museum is free for all under 26. Even if you don’t want to go to see the art, it is still worth checking out the giant library and book store and hang out in the cool place. Their fountain outside is also a fun place to eat and walk around (more on that in a later post). Honestly, it is even worth going up just for the gorgeous view of the city. I definitely plan on coming back, if not to the museum itself, at least to the lively area. A plus tard, Pompidou!


 C’est la vie, living in the glorious land of world class museums…with a free pass to so many of them! Paris is super student-friendly when it comes to museums and discounts, so I hope to take advantage of my Art History student ID and see as many museums as I can in these next few weeks. Who knows, maybe next time I have the chance to visit Paris I’ll be (gasp) over 26 (!!!) and no longer eligible for student prices and free admissions! Another reason to travel young…and to study abroad!