Serving as a radical architectural statement, the Centre Pompidou is the French national cultural centre and is home to Europe’s largest collection of modern and contemporary art. Commissioned by former French President Georges Pompidou, this structure was designed in the style of high-tech architecture by competition-winning architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. Opening in 1977, it was the first major example of an ‘inside-out’ building, with its vibrant mechanical systems such as green plumbing pipes, blue ducts, red air vents and yellow electrical cables forming part of the external façade, freeing up the interior space for exhibitions and events.

The Musée National d’Art Moderne, France’s national collection of art dating from 1905 onwards, is the main attraction. Located on the fourth and fifth floors, this display incorporates an array of Fauvist, Cubist, Surrealist, Pop Art and contemporary works. The fifth floor showcases artists active between 1905 and 1970, including Picasso, Matisse, Kandinsky, Warhol, Pollock and Rothko. Meanwhile, the fourth floor focuses on more contemporary art, architecture and design from around the 1990s onwards, with vast paintings, installation pieces, sculpture and video art taking centre stage.

The Bibliothèque Publique d’Information (Public Information Library) occupies a section of the first floor and the whole of the second and third floors, whilst the sixth floor has two temporary exhibition spaces which tend to be excellent as well as the panoramic restaurant Georges. In addition, this cultural complex houses a centre for industrial design, a film museum, and the Centre for Musical and Acoustical Research founded by French conductor and composer Pierre Boulez.

The two-day Paris Museum Pass, provided to all Kirker clients visiting Paris, includes complimentary entrance to Centre Pompidou and its beautiful rooftop (in addition to over 50 other museums, monuments and galleries).

Open everyday 11:00-21:00, except on Tuesdays. We recommend heading here around 5pm to avoid the daytime crowds. Annual closure on 1st May and early closure at 19:00 on 24th and 31st of December.

The building is located on the Rue Beaubourg on the fringes of the historic Marais section of Paris. The nearest metro station is Rambuteau.