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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2010 18:52:54 GMT
The decision to build an annex of the Pompidou Center in Metz dates back to 2003. This decision was not taken lightly, because it is the first time that a French national museum “decentralized” itself somewhere else. The inspiration can probably be found in the creation of the Guggenheim Bilbao, which dates back to 1997, but since then nothing much had happened in the concept of offshoot museums. Choosing Much Maligned Metz as the location of the new Pompidou Center was not taken lightly. Just about nobody outside of France can understand just how unliked the city is by an enormous percentage of the male population over the age of about 35. Metz was the main military city of France and in many cases it was the city where a lot of the male population spent the unhappiest year of their young adulthood. Whether or not the city had any redeeming qualities was beside the point – it was a place where they did not want to be and a place to leave as quickly as possible. Anyway, military installations in the east of France declined for obvious reasons starting in the 1990’s, and military conscription was abolished. On top of that, the mining and steel industries surrounding Metz were also in decline, so the region needed a boost. On the positive side, Metz is one of the most incredibly “European” regions on the continent. Without even waiting for the Schengen treaty and other such things, Metz merged a lot of its cultural activities with Trier and Luxembourg long ago (later adding Saarbrücken to the mix), totally ignoring the national borders. Rock concerts, expositions and festivals are shared among the cities, with special prices and transportation facilities. The Pompidou Metz was designed by the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, working with Jean de Gastines, but it all started with a traditional Chinese hat that Shigeru Ban bought in a market in Paris. This gave inspiration for the iconic wooden outer structure covering the museum building, which is a collection of concrete structures, including the three main galleries set at different angles on top of each other. Anyway, it was all put together and topped with the “hat” at the end. It opened just last month and I decided that last week was the time for me to go and see it. Metz is one of my favorite cities in the world for totally biased reasons, which I will expose in another thread. It is right behind the train station and extremely convenient for any visitors (I drove there and used the car park which still smells of fresh paint.). There is a vast empty area around it which is to be filled in the coming years. Time to go inside... (to be continued)
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2010 19:31:56 GMT
I was happy to see a number of old favorites now located in Metz. Actually, I don’t think that anything is located there permanently, because the point of the three giant galleries is to have them on different schedules. For the opening exhibits, I saw that one of the galleries would not change for a year but that one of the other ones would change in 9 months and the third one would change in 6 months. So the various artworks will rotate, and sometimes part or all of one of the galleries will be receiving loans from other modern art museums of the world. I was very happy to see some old favorites on display, by Magritte, Soutine, Picasso, Monet, Matisse and many others. I was particularly delighted to see a work by Séraphine de Senlis. I had probably seen some of her stuff before but like most ignorant people, until I saw the movie I had not really paid attention. The painting was wonderful, but when you lean in to look at the details and the richness of the homemade colors, it is even more impressive. Naturally, there were all sorts of items of conceptual art, as there should be in any modern art museum. [/center] (to be continued)
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2010 20:19:56 GMT
I think that one of the very best things about the Pompidou Metz is that you can go with people who have limited interest in museums. At each end of the three galleries, there are huge windows overlooking the city. I was there on an uncrowded Thursday, but I have no idea how things might be on the weekend – or even when the newness of the place has worn off. From what I could tell, a very large number of the visitors were from Germany, and others came from Belgium. I do not remember hearing a single person speaking English. Anyway, when I bought my ticket, they asked for my postal code, and I could tell that they were very pleased that somebody from Paris would come to see their “little” museum. (to be continued)
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 13, 2010 20:43:49 GMT
I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying this thread, and how pleased I was to see "to be continued" on it.
What a wonderful building, with all that graceful, soaring underpinning on view. I don't really care for how the square protruding room looks on the outside -- reminds me of a window air conditioner. Also, the whiteness of the roof is a little disconcerting. Perhaps that is to make it meld more completely with the surrounding landscape?
Thanks for showing the Séraphine de Senlis painting -- a great pleasure. The way the Matisses are displayed is a surprise, it's almost casual: "oh, those are just the Matisses." Do you know who painted the work in the photo below the Matisse group? It has some of the sentimentality of the pre-Raphaelites, but is on a much higher order. Is it a Degas? The way that huge painting is hung, in the last of the photos of your three galleries group, is magnificent. And is that a cut-out in the wall across from it? Brilliant!
The views from the galleries -- making the terrain, history, and skyline of the city part of the art -- are breathtaking. When I think "Metz", I think WWI, so your background comments were much appreciated.
Okay -- enough from me. I'm going back to look at the thread!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2010 20:49:27 GMT
Just a bit more to wrap up this report. One of the things that impressed me the most was not a work of art at all. Gallery 3 on top of the building was split down the middle, and one side was devoted to showing all of the museum projects and museum renovation projects of the last 50 years in France. Frankly, I was astounded by how much money this country puts into museums. Naturally there was a scale model of the first Pompidou Center (1977). There were also models to show the conception of the new place. Anyway, I was totally satisfied with my visit of the Pompidou Metz, and I will certainly return in the future. Most of all, I was happy to see the panorama of my beloved city of Metz from the windows of the museum, and I rushed to walk the streets again. (Report on the way.)
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2010 21:01:26 GMT
Sorry, Bixa, I did not note the name of the artist responsible for the painting under the Matisses. But I was quite impressed by it, and the information next to it was about how even though it was painted classically, it belonged to the family of "modern art" because the treatment was completely untraditional -- people coming from a funeral encountering a beggar. This was a totally inappropriate subject in the old days.
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jun 14, 2010 0:24:51 GMT
I like the design of the structure, inside and out. The huge windows remind me of the Institute of Contemporary Art in my hometown of Boston, which has huge windows giving panoramic views of the harbor and city skyline. Not real crazy about some (not all, it depends) modern art but this building appeals to me. Looks worth a visit, so tell me why Metz is so great and give me more incentive to go.
FMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 14, 2010 1:48:12 GMT
Ahhh ~~ when you showed the building models, it finally sank in that the museum roof is white because it is translucent. That's wonderful!
As to the money France puts into museums ....... some people may disagree, but I think that when one thinks of modern art, meaning that which began with the Impressionists, one automatically thinks "France". And with the building of the Centre Georges Pompidou in the 1970s, France set a high standard for how art would be displayed into the 21st century.
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Post by lagatta on Jun 14, 2010 11:42:29 GMT
Methinks K2's fondness for Metz simply has to do with the maternal side of his family hailing from the immediate area. Unless there is another, secret reason!
Yes, this is a lovely thread. Funny how a town that was once a martial outpost on the border can become a pole for a supranational economic and cultural region including regions in France, Germany and the little duchy of Luxemburg.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2010 12:29:24 GMT
The Saar-Lor-Lux Euro-region (which also includes part of Belgian Wallonia although not in the name) has been intertwined for centuries, with the Moselle river as its backbone. Saarland is the smallest German state and has always had the closest ties with France -- the Saar was under French administration from the end of WW1 until 1935 when it voted to return to German rule, but it had filled with communists and other German political opponents in the meantime, because it was the only part of Germany where they were not persecuted. It is also the most Catholic German state. And after WW2, the Saar was under French occupation again until 1956, and it even continued to use the Saar franc as its currency until 1959.
Obviously, the Moselle department in France was annexed by Germany from 1871 until 1918 and again annexed de facto during WW2 along with Alsace.
You'd think that these two areas would hate each other with so much war and suffering tearing them to pieces over the centuries, but it is precisely what has brought them irrevocably together.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2010 21:23:01 GMT
Ahhh ~~ when you showed the building models, it finally sank in that the museum roof is white because it is translucent. That's wonderful! In the thread simply titled "Metz," you can see the translucency of the white roof at night (on the billboard advertising the opening). I haven't seen it at night myself, but I hope to do so on my next visit.
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Post by Jazz on Jun 16, 2010 20:23:17 GMT
A great thread. Its interesting how many of your thoughts link this, your Metz thread and your conversation with Mme. Soutine.
It always fascinates me how a beautiful and complex design may come from one small element. Here, the hat. The translucent roof is beautiful. The collection as a whole is certainly worth a visit. Seraphine’s work, and the Soutine Bellhop now take on new meaning for me, and the odd and arresting painting of the ‘Funeral Goers and the Beggar’. (wish I knew who the artist was because as you say, it was totally inappropriate subject matter at that time).
The gallery of models and its other wall of museums in France would draw me as well. The Frank Gehry design for the Fondation Louis Vuitton looks great. He is from Toronto and recently ‘redesigned’ the Art Gallery of Ontario, with moderate success. If France does spend a fortune on its museums, why not? Too many countries spend billions on armaments, the museums are shared by all and celebrate creativity, not destruction.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2010 8:12:43 GMT
The Pompidou has been in the news lately because of the snow. The teflon roof has ripped twice so far under the weight of the snow, even though there are heating wires in the canvas, "clearly insufficient," as the authorities are saying. Temporary repairs are being made, and the whole roof will probably be replaced next summer with a more resistant and better heated roof covering. This is where the snow is building up, so there is no risk for the actual museum rooms.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 22, 2010 15:30:40 GMT
I know there is more snow than usual, but I thought Metz was in a part of France that usually got snow.
But we have nothing to say - we certainly usually get snow, and our Olympic Stadium roof has been plagued with snow and ice problems.
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Matti Orpana
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Post by Matti Orpana on Jan 1, 2011 8:00:58 GMT
I think the main issue is the material chosen for this roof design. PTFE-coated glass fiber is not very flexible and its tear resistance is lower compared to polyester. On the other hand PVC coating with whatever finishing will get soon dirty in European climate. We should carefully look at the original architects design and think if it will work with chosen material, but brave engineers sometimes fail in defining the limits...
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 3, 2011 20:18:11 GMT
Besides the toughness or lack thereof in the coating, the shape seems designed to accumulate snow. (I'm not glad there are problems, but glad this thread was reactivated -- it's a joy to view.)
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2011 21:29:47 GMT
So, I finally made it back to Metz and was able to admire the Pompidou Center after dark. Frankly, I think it is much more impressive at night.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2011 21:43:30 GMT
It was interesting also to look through the glass front and admire the lobby completely empty.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 20, 2011 22:12:22 GMT
Yaay ~~ you're back in Metz! The museum is definitely very beautiful in those night shots. In that, it reminds me of a church, with the stained glass windows meant to be admired by those inside by day, & by those outside at night. And really, museums are cathedrals of art, so to speak. I was happy to see a number of old favorites now located in Metz. Actually, I don’t think that anything is located there permanently, because the point of the three giant galleries is to have them on different schedules. For the opening exhibits, I saw that one of the galleries would not change for a year but that one of the other ones would change in 9 months and the third one would change in 6 months. So the various artworks will rotate, and sometimes part or all of one of the galleries will be receiving loans from other modern art museums of the world. So .... what are you going to show us this time, huh? huh?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2011 22:21:04 GMT
It was closed while I was there this time, except for the café-restaurant which was getting ready to close (photo #6).
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Post by nycgirl on Aug 20, 2011 23:35:16 GMT
Terrific photos! The Metz certainly has a fascinating art collection. It's also a great building, and yes, it does look particularly impressive at night.
I'd love to see it one day. And the Gehry building when it's finished, that's gonna be cool.
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Post by auntieannie on Aug 21, 2011 11:11:36 GMT
oh, I have to agree that the funeral people painting (almost typed picture) is fascinating. it is thoroughly modern and alive with details, even though the outfits seem to me from another century.
Gorgeous building.
I am glad I don't make "I want to visit" lists... just following Kerouac would fill a good page of that list! and I am not even naming other posters on here, who make dream of a life of leisure, travelling around looking for beauty all the time.
thanks for a lovely moment in modern art in Metz.
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Post by htmb on Jul 22, 2012 17:50:02 GMT
Kerouac, I was in Metz in mid-July of 2010, right after your first visit, I suppose. I took the TGV from Paris for the day and it was a very easy trip. I would love to go back and explore the area by car.
We both posted one photo of the same painting (the Braque), but otherwise our posts are very different which I think is interesting, too. I was so glad to see your photographs of the wooden structures and that "hut" kind of display, which totally puzzled me. I also enjoyed the third floor, and I enjoyed looking at the videos of Picasso at work.
Your exterior photographs are fabulous, particularly those taken at night. It was storming the day I visited Metz, so the only outdoor photos I took are totally dark and gloomy. I was fascinated by the structure on the island, Temple Neuf, but at the time of my visit could not find any information. I'd really like to learn more about it.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2012 17:57:12 GMT
The next thing that is going to happen there is that apparently a huge shopping mall is being built next to the museum. Frankly, I think it is perfectly fine if it will bring more people to the area.
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Post by komsomol on Dec 6, 2012 19:12:24 GMT
Are you gonna do a report about the new Louvre?
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2013 21:04:43 GMT
My plan to visit the Louvre Lens is advancing slowly but surely.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2014 18:31:06 GMT
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Post by htmb on Oct 26, 2014 18:47:53 GMT
Wonderful! I'm so glad you returned to this beautiful space. I loved the museum and was thinking I might return next summer so I can give the town another chance. Looking forward to seeing more of your photos.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2014 19:19:39 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2014 19:28:42 GMT
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