The largest collection of modern and contemporary art in Europe is to find at a venue called Centre Pompidou (Pompidou Centre) in Paris. The art is housed in a Pritzker-winning architecture from 1977 designed by architects Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano. The complex has been as controversial as a construction as The Eiffel tower once was. In jest, the builders have been accused of not completing the job and not removing the scaffolding by the very same people who later came to admire the art space.
It is admirable, indeed for its distinct inside-out approach, where the ventilation pipes, escalator, insulation and what not are stuck to the outside of the building to free up extra art space on the inside. Intellectually, this is an eternal building site where not only visual art but all art forms meet, mingle and conceptualise. It is not just art, but also a good place to hang out, look out over Paris and sip a cup of coffee. Inside the centre you can also go to the Cinema, or use the public research centre and library on art Bibliothèque publique d’information. It makes the centre attractive to the 25,000 people who visit the complex every day.
Musée National d’Art Moderne inside Centre Georges Pompidou
The centre mounts temporary exhibitions that draws large international crowds in. These are parts of an ambitious and continuous programme of events that often overlap in time to the delights of visitors.
The permanent collection is the National Collection of Modern Art in France, which used to reside at Palais de Tokyo. It consists of culturally significant works by Marcel Duchamp, Marc Chagall, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Wassili Kandinsky, and the two Pierres: Pierre Bonhard and Pierre Soulages. Altogether the collection amounts to 9,000 works of art by 6,300 artists.
It makes it the worlds second largest collection after MoMA in New York. Together with Louvre, the Musée National d’Art Moderne is one of the two brightest jewels in the crown of the French art world.
The romanian born, and French naturalised Constantin Brâncuși is prominently featured with a replete version of his studio housing with its original contents. It offers you a unique collection of 137 sculptures, 87 pedestals, 41 drawings, 2 paintings and a series of original photos by the artist.
