mdtravel- I agree with 1110p and most of the other comments. for an 8 day Paris trip, add this to your activities. You don't have to stay long if this does not capture your interest, but at least check it out. I think the suggestion about maybe going in the evening is a good one too. Have a glass of wine at GEORGE, the rooftop restaurant and enjoy the view after your visit. On my last Pompidou visit I concentrated on the special DuBuffet special exihit there and I really enjoyed it, then we had lunch at GEORGE. By the way, GEORGE gets great reviews, but we were not impressed with our "very average" lunch. However, the wine and the view were enjoyable. Did anyone else have an exceptional lunch or dinner at GEORGE?

111op- Thanks,great and interesting details and factoids .

There are two floors of galleries in the museum at the Pompidou Center. The higher floor has the more established (and older) modern artists' works, and the lower floor has the temporary exhibits and the more contemporary works. At least that's how I remember it from our visit last year. If the exhibits on the lower floor are too far out for your tastes, make your way up to the upper gallery.

We actually didn't make it to the upper floor, since we were exhausted from a very full day and had already seen the Picasso Museum that morning. We did have fun with the stuff we saw. There was a gray steel locker in the middle of a room; my husband went over to open it and was admonished by a guard for touching the art. I sat on a chair in the corridor outside one room and was admonished for sitting on the art. We decided that if this stuff was art, our whole lives were art, and that's a pretty good lesson to take away from any museum.

Re modern art -- well, if Rauschenberg, Johns, Rothko, Pollock, etc. can command millions for their art, I guess it must be worth one's time to look at.

Hi Trend, I don't think that I've actually seen Dubuffet's art prior to Pompidou. Also Soulage. As I said, interesting French artists that I don't get to see as much of in the US.

Oh, I forgot to mention that there's a reproduction of Brancusi's studio outside the art museum, so if you like his sculpture, that's worth a visit.

Cafe Batavia, first you said, "IMHO, don't waste your time or money on this cold, ugly monster of a building with its lame "art". "

THen you said. "...my daughter and I also still share lots of delayed laughs about the crazy displays." .

That's the point...it got you and your daughter thinking and discussing the exhibits.

While I agree that some of the art is "hard to understand"...it can certainly be appreciated and/or discussed.

It is an easy museum to include because it is one of the few that is open evenings.

I highly reccomend that it be included as part of the Paris experience.
http://www.opus1.com/www/jmspics/spr...s/Image31.html

TrendGirl, we found the food at George good but not exceptional. You're really paying a premium for the view which is definitely worth it.

Dick, I'm not really super serious about going or not going. This thread is a real hoot.

I often pop into modern art places if they are free or included on a pass for a little change of pace and a few laughs. But its never a top priority. Paris has too much better to offer me. Others think otherwise, but that's what makes the world go around.

And who knows, maybe a picture of my paperboy painted house will hang in the Pompidou Center some day soon!

Mvor- I didn't care about the price at GEORGE, that was what we had expected, we just had heard all al this "BUZZ" about how amazing the food was, and we found the food (especially by Paris standards) to be nothing great. But, as I stated, it was still worth a "food & wine" break and to give it a try.

TrendGirl, we hadn't heard any buzz about the food so I guess we expected "museum food." In addition to the view/wine break, it also makes for great people watching, don't you think? Maureen

One thing I did this winter when our trip to Paris seemed so far away was to take a map of Paris and mark the "must sees" in one color of ink, then go through my "Eyewitness Paris" book and mark the "it would be nice to see" attractions in another color. I got a good idea of what was near what. It may be that Pompidou Center - or anything else - is not on the "must do" list, but if you're a few blocks away, you might want to stop in.

I really found that method helpful and it also warded off some disappointment. There are lots of things in Paris - as in any destination - that may not be worth a long metro ride with 3 changes in trains, but are certainly worth seeing if you're already in the neighborhood.

CafeBatavia, I could care less if you could or could not handle the Pompidou. The only "nerve that you struck" was that I don't like to see someone making sweeping statments (i.e. "don't waste your time or money on this cold, ugly monster of a building with its lame "art". ) about something they know little or nothing about. I think the best advice given here was: check the museum's website, 2)if you have the time to check it out and you want to check it out, please do so 3) Don't feel forced to love it or hate it. 4) Enjoy paris and ALL it has to offer!

mdtravel - aren't you glad you asked?

This is an awesome place to see for the first time. If I hadn't seen pictures of it, I would not know what the heck it is. Children love riding up the glass enclosed esculators and to watch the activity and jugglers out front.

grantop, cool off, honey. I bet huge vents of steam are flowing from your ears.

Be bold: take a picture of yourself, label it "Passion for Modern Art",and submit it to the Pompidou Center. You might get displayed. Or is that too broad and sweeping a suggestion for you?

Are you always so touchy?

Make a stop just so you can come away with your own opinion. I like some modern and don't like other artists, but I don't dismiss out of hand anyone's creativity. When we visited (2001) there was a closet installation - and yes, you or I could probably have done the same thing. There was also a video of Yoko and friends doing bare butt shots - art? But fun, yes, and definitely a conversation topic. Take time to sit at the fountain nearby, which might be more to everyone's taste. For all the same reasons, I would suggest you take a few hours to walk through the Picasso. Nothing that expands your mind or experiences is a waste of time.

I believe that it's free on Thursday evenings.

WOW CafeBatavia, I see you are having a bad day, perhaps the steam you refer to was your own?? All that I was trying to say was that people shouldn't instruct others as to what to do, or not do, if they don't know much about the topic to begin with, which your responses clearly suggest you don't.

Oh, and sorry, but I am not your honey. YUCK!!

If you have time, I would go. Even if you are not a modern art fan, it is a very interesting building. Sure there is some weird stuff, but there are also some wonderful pieces by some of the better known(?) artists. My husband wanted to see the Kandinsky paintings and I'm glad we took some time to walk around. We only spent about an hour and a half there, but it was fun, not as intense as the Louvre (which I loved though) and if you read a little about the building and why it is what it is, it makes a little bit more sense. We went at night, and the view was spectacular. If you have a pass, what's the harm in going in? Check it out and if you don't like it - leave!

grantop, we have to stop meeting like this or people will begin to talk.

I admit I know nothing about modern art. Who does since there is nothing to know or understand!

Seriously, I promise never to belittle that lame rusting hunk of junk they call the Pompidou Center. But you have to agree to not let yourself be baited so easily. Agreed?

PS - I actually love the place - it is so, so inspiring!

Hi CafeBatavia, since you admit to being ignorant, I suggest that you look at these links:

http://www.greatbuildings.com/archit...nzo_Piano.html

http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildi..._Pompidou.html

At least you can sound a little more intelligent when you proffer your statements next time. It's much easier to call this a piece of junk when you don't realize that the architects were original enough to think of putting the "guts" of the building on the outside. Read a little and then judge. Renzo Piano is no slouch, having won the Pritzker Prize.

The level of art history and criticism in this post coupled with the xenophobic diatribes in the one about security in the U.S. are a sad commentary. Funny how the messages of those decrying the Pompidou and those advocating the you're-with-us-or-you're-against-us stance have the most grammatical errors.

mdtravel: if you have to ask, then perhaps you shouldn't go. On my first trip to Paris 15 years ago, I had two museums on my must-see list. The Pompidou was one of them.

CB, I can hardly wait to hear your views on I.M. Pei's pyramid, classic I'm sure.