Musée National d’Art Moderne
The National Art Museum of France is located on the 4th and 5th floors of the Centre Georges Pompidou (French president from 1969 to 1974) in the Right Bank neighborhood of Beaubourg. The group commissioned for the project included Italian architect Renzo Piano, British architects Richard and Sue Rogers, British engineer Edmund Happold, and Irish engineer Peter Rice. The Museum, completed in 1977, impressed the public and the architectural world with the unique structural design of exterior piping, each color coded to represent its contents; for example, blue for water, green for air, red for elevators, etc. Richard Rogers received the Pritzker prize for architecture in 2007 for his creativity in this revolutionary style of architecture that has been described as an “oil refinery in the centre of the city.”
The Museum offers a comprehensive review of modern art from the earliest painters of the 20th century through the contemporary artists of today, the only one of its kind in the world. Over 50,000 works of art including paintings, sculpture, video, and photography are housed in 40 galleries within the Musée. Various periods of artistic expression are represented by well-known artists in Impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, Surrealism, and Pop. These artists include Kandinsky, Duchamp, Miró, Picasso, Calder, and Chagall. Other esteemed artists are represented such as Stella, Pollack, Kelly, Warhol, Klee, and Braque, as well as sculpture by Brancusi and Matisse.
Recent exhibits at the Museum highlight the artists in over 1,300 works and 500 periodicals in which future collections following specific themes will be added in chronological order. Upcoming presentations include art from the Giacometti studio, freshly painted art in the children’s gallery, and Sylvia Bächli’s graphic arts. Over 20 international exhibits are sponsored by the Museum each year; these currently include Lisbon, Shanghai, and Hanover. In addition, the Centre of Industrial Design and 20th century architecture is housed within the Musée. Visitors may also enjoy one of the best panoramic views of Paris’ attractions, such as Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Pantheon, and the Eiffel Tower, from the top floor of the Museum.
Hours: Open daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Tuesdays and May 1.
Admission: 10 Euros, ticket includes unlimited day admission to the permanent collections, temporary exhibits, children’s galleries, and the 6th floor view of Paris. Children under 18 and the disabled are free, as is admission on the first Sunday of each month. A Museum Pass, priced from 30 to 60 Euros, includes 10 other attractions in Paris.
Group & Guided Tours: Saturday & Sunday, 4 p.m. in French; Saturday, 3 p.m. in English. Tickets are reduced at 8 Euros.
Handicap accessible, three bookstores, restaurant, and bar.