George Pompidou Center

I visited this ugly building and modern art museum on my first visit to Paris in 1996, and had never been back.

Until now. I stopped by for 3 reasons:

1. They are closing later this year and will be closed for five years to clean and renovate. And it seriously needs it.
2. I am reading a book about an artist I had not heard of before, and some of his paintings are here. The painter is Francis Picabia. He was friends with Marcel Duchamp and was a contemporary of Picasso. The book is called Gabriele, the name of his first wife. Francis and Gabriele are the great grandparents of the authors: Claire and Anne Berest. Great book!
3. And we were in the neighborhood to see something else

I thought I had a picture of something by Marcel Duchamp, but I can probably describe it for you, because it is a great example of why I don’t love some modern art.

It was a shovel (snow, garden etc) hanging from the ceiling. It was apparently some kind of statement about an arm.

I was seriously unimpressed with it. But Duchamp does have other art I don’t hate.