We walked from the Champs-Elysees to L’Orangerie only to find out that it would not open till after noon. The morning was reserved only for tour groups. Dang!
So we went to Centre Pompidou to see modern art – only to find out that we were in the wrong queue (the library) and that this museum was also not open yet! It was a Sunday.
We walked on to the Musee Picasso and at least this time we got in at once, by showing our Museum Pass. It was pretty good, one of the better museums I visited in this Europe trip. I didn’t realise Picasso used so many conventional objects, like gardening tools, to put together his sculptures. He also had a couple of political pieces – one in this museum and another in Madrid (the Reina Sofia museum, which I visited a few days later).
We headed back to the Centre Pompidou (photos). Its exhibits were different from the others in the sense that there were moving pieces and short flicks that looped continuously. The downside was that we were not allowed to take photos in most areas.
Anyway, the best example was a single light bulb suspended from the ceiling, attached to a mechanism that slowly raised and lowered the bulb. Around the bulb were many battery cages, from floor to ceiling. As the bulb moved the line shadows cast by the cages changed with a 3D effect. So simple and spartan, yet the movements were complex.
Another cool exhibit was the use of a wide goldfish tank that was lit from the bottom and a mirror at the side. That created multiple shadows of fish swimming about. The only thing was that the fish were gasping for air.
A screen displayed cut scenes from various Hollywood actresses like Grace Kelly, reacting to intruders in their homes.
On the floor shone a projection of a crowd of people trying to cross a busy road. We kept staring at the floor because it was so fascinating, like we were pedestrians from a distance, or people looking down from a building.
There were more ‘usual’ displays such as pop art and architecture models. It also had a funky bookshop and another store which sold interesting but expensive (and mostly unnecessary) household items and other knick-knacks.