The Stravinsky Fountain
One of my favorite things to do when I travel, especially when I travel alone, especially when I travel through Europe, is to visit the world’s great museums, and The Centre Georges Pompidou is one of my absolute favorites. Home to a permanent collection of some of the most impressive contemporary and modern works, the museum’s unusual architecture is also a draw. Completed in 1977, the skeleton of the building is exposed and made up of colorfully painted pipes. The place Georges-Pompidou is also a popular gathering place with a sculpture by Alexander Calder at the entrance of the museum and the nearby Stravinsky Fountain. When I visited, there was a Calder retrospective on display. I was also in search of works by Henri Matisse, as I was told by my landlord that I was living in a building that he once occupied. My search came to fruition in the permanent collection of the Pompidou where I discovered paintings during his time in Paris in 1913, one of a view of the Seine from his flat. I went home that afternoon and stood on the quai Saint-Michel and gazed at the Seine through Matisse’s eyes.
place Georges-Pompidou, Paris, France, 75004 +33 01 44 78 12 33
A view of the Seine as painted by Matisse from his flat on quai Saint-Michel, 1913.
A view of the Seine from quai Saint-Michel today.
