The debate around the Pompidou Center has not subsided even after 30 years

Paris - With buildings that, in a manner of speaking, defy the norm, Paris has experience at least since 1889, when the Eiffel Tower was completed. Despite the uproar it caused back then, it is now the city's main symbol, and no one thinks to question it anymore. Perhaps the same will happen to the Pompidou Center for modern art, whose architecture still provokes more debate than other prominent buildings of recent decades, starting with the Montparnasse Tower.
    Architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers constructed a building that, with its pipes, scaffolding, glass elevators, and ventilation outlets on the façade, gives the impression of being perpetually under construction. This corresponded to their aim of emphasizing the idea of continuous creation and the unfinished nature of art.
    It sparked controversy even back then. Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who succeeded the late Georges Pompidou as president in 1974, reportedly even inquired about the possibility of stopping the construction upon taking office.
    The debate continues to this day, and one can hear everything and its opposite within it - "wonderful," "genius," "architectural miracle," "fully serving its purpose," but also "debate-worthy," "at best mediocre," "too contrasting with the surroundings," "horrible." In the second group also falls the nickname "gasworks," which some Parisians have given the museum. The interior of the building fares better in visitor opinions, featuring, among other things, a large and very popular public library.
    Former long-time museum employee Jana Claveriová, who came to France from Czechoslovakia, recently answered a question from ČTK, regarding how Parisians view the museum, by saying, "Well, they've gotten used to it." Some apparently still claim they will never set foot there. According to her, Czech painter Toyen (1902-1980), who lived in France, held the same opinion and refused to exhibit there. Claveriová also stated that in its original form the building was unsuitable, as problems arose with light due to its glazing, leading to the need for additional interior walls and cubicles with artificial lighting.
    Despite the controversy, and perhaps a bit because of it, the Pompidou Center is one of the main attractions of the city. It is the third most visited site after the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre.