The Pompidou Highlights Tour - 2 hours
Modern and Contemporary Masterpieces
Paris is home to the greatest art museums in the world. Among these is the Centre Pompidou — Europe’s largest museum for modern and contemporary artwork.
No trip to Paris is complete without a guided tour of this spell-binding architectural marvel and mega-museum.
Discover Everything Pompidou Has to Offer
Modern art is filled with fascinating characters, interesting concepts, and devastating works that turned the world upside down.
Your trip to the Pompidou is a chance to see the paintings that changed everything — remaking the art world one brush stroke at a time.
It’s a journey that will delight your eyes and your mind, as you see iconic artwork and learn about what compelled the artists to take such daring leaps.
You’ll also be standing in an art institution with a global reach. This collection is one of the most sought after in all of modern and contemporary art — its pieces are studied and debated to this day.
Visitors flock to the Pompidou to inspire new sparks of creativity, to reconnect to the art world, and to understand the context for the visual culture we live in today.
If you are making a trip to Paris, you can’t miss a visit to the Centre Pompidou. Our guided tours are unforgettable experiences that will fill you with the joys of beauty made by the leading figures of the 20th and 21st centuries.
How the Pompidou Became the Pompidou
Pompidou's History
The Centre Pompidou is a multi-disciplinary cultural and artistic venue in Paris. Named after Georges Pompidou, the former President of France, the Centre was conceived as an innovative locale that would make art and culture more accessible to the public. It was inspired by the emergent democracy of street protests as well as the legacy of the great French art institutions.
President Pompidou initiated the project himself in 1969, with the idea being to create a cultural home in the heart of Paris that would focus entirely on modern and contemporary works. But he wanted something more than another museum. He wanted a central cultural hub where the visual arts would rub shoulders with theater, music, cinema, literature, and the spoken word. With this center, the city of Paris would provide a space for tomorrow’s old masters to be celebrated and understood in their lifetime.
In the years since its construction, the Pompidou has proven to more than fulfill its mandate as a leading cultural institution in the City of Lights.
The Pompidou’s Legendary Architecture
The design of the Pompidou
The design of the Pompidou is as famous as the collection inside it. That’s because the team of architects pursued a radical new approach to building — and you have to see it in person to truly understand just how exciting it is.
To pick a firm to design the Pompidou, organizers held an international competition. The project was awarded to the team of Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, along with Gianfranco Franchini.
Their design was unlike anything in Europe. It turned architectural norms (literally) inside out by placing structural and circulation elements on the exterior of the building. Its staircase with landings that runs along the outside has been enshrined in the Pompidou’s logo.
The Centre's iconic high-tech architecture, with its exposed skeleton of brightly colored tubes for mechanical systems, was initially controversial — just like the design of the Eiffel Tower was when it was conceived of in 1884. And like the Eiffel Tower, it is now beloved.
Construction on the Pompidou started in 1972 and inaugurated on January 31, 1977.
Pompidou, Beaubourg, National Museum of Modern Art
After construction, the Pompidou was an immediate success, drawing in thousands of locals and tourists alike.
Inside the Centre, the National Museum of Modern Art (Musée National d'Art Moderne) stands as the single largest museum for modern and contemporary art in Europe.
The collection is breathtaking. It contains:
● more than 100,000 works of art,
● representing 6,400 artists
● from 90 countries
● dating from 1905 to the present day.
These works include famous masterpieces by artists the likes of Picasso, Duchamp, Kandinsky, and Pollock. But the collection also continues to develop, representing the rise of new voices.
While you are there, you can also check out the Centre’s enormous library, exhibition spaces, performance halls, and more. And because it is located on the outskirts of Le Marais neighborhood, it can be folded into the perfect day in Paris.
See All of Paris From the Top of the Pompidou
What better way to cap off a trip to the Pompidou than by seeing all of Paris from its rooftop?
The building’s size and location make it the perfect way to do a little landmark spotting and drink in the most beautiful city in the world.
Highlights from the Pompidou Collection
Thrills at POMPIDOU Center
There are countless era-defining works of art at the Pompidou. These are pieces that made waves, challenging and changing how people saw art and the role of the artist.
When you take a guided tour of the Pompidou, you will encounter historic works of art, and you’ll have a guide who can tell you the story behind each piece.
Avec l’arc noir (1912) by Vassily Kandinsky
Witness the birth of abstraction in the canvases of Vassily Kandinsky — the inspiring artist who helped give birth to contemporary art.
Kandinsky combined a deep love of music and a rich spiritual life to create paintings that mesmerized audiences. His extensive writing on art and his career as an educator made his impact that much wider and longer lasting.
The Deep (1953) by Jackson Pollock
Few names are as synonymous with explosive creativity as Jackson Pollock. This painting shows him completely reworking his style as he moved on from his dripping method.
For many years, Pollock was the leading figure of abstract expressionism. That made him both a hero and a target of fans and critics alike. His highly controversial painting and personality remain vital to the understanding of art.
Manège de cochons (1922) by Robert Delaunay
This painting erupts with color and shape, which were the core elements that Delaunay used to revolutionize the way people saw painting in the early 20th century.
Delaunay was a part of the first generation of true abstract artists, and the methods he laid down helped to steer the genre for decades. But standing in front of his work, you can also sense the sheer joy he felt in creation.
The Masterpieces by Pompidou on 2023
Below is a rapid-fire list of the artists and their masterpieces selected for you by the officials of the Pompidou Center. Every year, this list changes alongs with their displays.
Otto Dix
Mind-bending. Surreal. Haunting. These are just a few ways people describe this groundbreaking artist’s work. His paintings stand out as scathing critiques of life around him.
The Frame by Frida Kahlo
This work by surrealist master Frida Kahlo is the only piece of hers in a European museum. Its creation marked a watershed moment in her career.
Yves Klein
One of France’s leading 20th century artists, Klein pioneered a radical form of minimalism that still ignites reactions — from fervent defenses to vicious attacks.
Constantin Brâncuși
This is the sculptor who took Rodin’s modernism and turned it into a leading force in the world of art. His work remains as enigmatic as it is captivating.
Picasso and Braque
The founders of cubism can be found at the Pompidou, where you can see them develop this highly influential and widely lauded style.