A couple of weeks ago, two friends and I decided to visit Le Centre Pompidou, Paris’ modern art museum, after class. It’s one of the few museums I remember from my family vacation nearly twelve years ago, so I was really excited to go back. Now that I’ve got my Sciences Po student ID card, I can get into most museums in Paris for free, so I’ve been trying to take full advantage of that. The best part about free entry is that I don’t feel any pressure to see everything or to stay long enough to get my money’s worth. Since I’m already a pretty slow museum navigator, it’s nice to just stroll at a leisurely pace and know that I can always come back to see whatever I miss.
Palais de Justice on the way to Le Centre Pompidou
La Seine
Afternoon traffic
Tower on the way to le Centre Pompidou
Le Centre Pompidou
Alexander Calder’s ‘Horizontal’
The museum building itself, as you can see, is really cool. It’s escalators are encased in hamster tube-like structures that line the exterior and offer views of the surrounding neighborhood. The space bridges the notions of inside and outside — architectural design as art, I guess.
Square in front of the museum
In front of le Centre Pompidou
Inside le Centre Pompidou
Tube-encased, semi-exterior escalators
The works on display were equally impressive and often striking — here are some of my favorites.
Furniture?!
View from Le Centre Pompidou
View from Le Centre Pompidou
Can you spot the Eiffel Tower?
The Eiffel Tower from Le Centre Pompidou
Sacre Coeur from Le Centre Pompidou
tasty adventures 