Originally, I wasn't going to visit Pompidou, but it was Sunday and the lesser known museums that I'd planned on visiting were closed and Pompidou was nearby as with most of the museums. At the time of my visit, there was a choice of the permanent exhibit (7€, seniors 65+ 4€) and for an added fee you could view the temporary exhibit; just the permanent please. With admission, you get an easy-to-use audio guide to explain many, but not all the works that have the theme of time. Otherwise, most of the exhibits have cards that explain the art. For example, one section was about leisure time, another was about the aged which was thought provoking (elderly are less productive, more isolated). In general, the exhibits had a message (ie. breaking gender boundaries or how leisure time provided rest or promoted creativity) that required me to slow down and think about how time applies to me. Thinking the Pompidou had paintings from Picasso and Miró, I was surprised to find only one sculpture from Picasso, two paintings by Miró, and one painting by Matisse. While there was an exhibit where ground spices were hanging from pantyhose-like material and the audio guide said it invites you to smell the spices, I discovered the "invite" was rhetorical when security told me I was too close to the exhibit. read more
