Centre Pompidou
Centre Pompidou
Centre Pompidou (Pl. Georges-Pompidou, Beaubourg/Les Halles, Paris)(Metro: Rambuteau) – named after French president Georges Pompidou, this futuristic-looking complex was built during the 1970s by architects Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers and Gianfranco Franchini. The largest museum of modern art in Europe (Musée National d’Art Moderne) is located here (with one level devoted to works by Matisse, Modigliani, Marcel Duchamp, and Picasso), along with the IRCAM music & acoustic research center, and a large public library. The Pompidou’s basement level has two cinemas, a theater, a dance space, and a small, free exhibition space. Its top floor has a trendy restaurant, Georges, whose space-age décor has been compared to the sci-fi film “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Many like this restaurant, since its large windows offer its patrons a view of the city. See the Pompidou’s website for more details: www.centrepompidou.fr