Beaubourg 2 / Centre Pompidou-Metz

[Steven_Draker]

Not willing to hijack Karl-G's original thread about the New Whitney Museum in NYC, I'm creating this new one. In response to a poster while discussing the Pompidou Centre in Paris ...

 

I like much better Beaubourg 2, the first satellite location of the Paris's famous Pompidou Centre that opened in Metz (Northeast France) in 2010, designed by Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/arts/photos/2010/05/12/pompidou-metz-reuters-RTR2DP62.jpg

 

http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/6690/11025014.jpg

 

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/4192/16568650.jpg

 

I love architecture and I've found this particular project brought to the final product quite successful.

 

"The museum is France's first attempt at "cultural decentralization" — moving new arts venues and similar outposts away from the busy, tourist-heavy capital of Paris to spread out the economic and cultural benefits."

 

You remember probably that the French system is based on a "centralized model" with one unique center of attraction - Paris. In the same light of "decentralization" the next step would be in 2012 when Le Louvre is opening of a local branch in Lens, a former mining region in Northern France.

 

source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/artdesign/story/2010/05/12/pompidou-metz-opens.html

 

Steven ~

[Diverdan]

Thanks Steven for sharing this with us. This is truly great architecture, and I for one will like not having everything concentrated in Paris, as there is so much to enjoy in the rest of France, and these new venues outside of Paris will also help.

[+ Charlie]

It's a fascinating piece of architectural sculpture, but what's in it? Architecture lovers like us may be willing to go to Metz just to see the building, but how many tourists will travel there to see the contents? Beaubourg 1 gets visitors because it is in Paris, regardless of the contents. Spreading the cultural attractions around is a concept beloved by national planners (who almost always choose to live in the capitals), but does it really work? The Gehry-designed museum has apparently revived Bilbao, but the wonderful Libeskind museum hasn't done the same for Osnabrueck, as far as I can tell.