Centre Georges Pompidou

The Georges Pompidou Centre, known locally as the "Beaubourg," is Paris' main modern art museum.

The building was designed by the architect Renzo Piano and is internationally famous for its structure of exposed colored tubing. Besides having several spaces offering up art exhibits which are the talk of the Paris art world, it also has an impressive cultural program.

The two-floor library and café is a nice place where you can find books, international newspapers, journals, and music. The theaters offers films festivals, documentaries, and short films related to the current exhibits or events in the city. The tickets are usually cheaper than in normal commercial cinemas, but you can still get student, senior citizen, teacher, and unemployment discounts. The basement auditorium also hosts experimental artists and musicians from IRCAM (Institute for Research in Music and Acoustics) with composer Pierre Boulez at the helm.

It seems like a work of art. I understand the shock of some, who don't like this mess of colors and lines in the middle of idyllic Paris. But I enjoy the contrarianism and opportunism of bringing a fresh and attractive cultural center to the center of the capital. They play drums, people sit and read, listen to music, watch a street show or do nothing at all. They sit on the ground in the area in front of the Pompidou, which is allowed because it's a public space. Whenever someone approaches, they get absurd heckles about flirting or buying a CD. I don't listen to anyone, and continue on my way. A friend tells me about something insignificant that happened today.

The Centre Georges Pompidou is the main cultural center in Paris. It stands out for its structure of exposed tubes, cables, and rectangular objects. It houses the National Museum of Modern Art (MNAM) which features works by the Surrealists, Cubists, and Matisse, as well as Pop Art and more contemporary works.

The Centre has six floors and the top offers a really stunning view of the city.