pages

Friday, June 14, 2024

Centre Pompidou, La BD à toutes les Étages

 

Pompidou museum web site
Yesterday, after giving up finding a new hairdresser ✂️ (suggestions are welcome)I wandered into the Centre Pompidou museum nearby.

Watercolor painting of French guimauve or marshmallows
I know most PBers are not wild about the French obsession with marshmallows/guimauve .

Banners hanging in Pompidou for comic book exhibit
Or illustrated comic books/bandes dessinée. Yet many PBers are mad to live 🥐 in Paris! 
Comic book illustration of the Eiffel Tower
Learning to love or even like either will make a difference. 
Many comic books are for adults & super sophisticated, like this spread from a model’s life,
Jeune Fille en DiorAfter all I’m not asking you to eat blood sausage/boudin noir.
French children’s comic books from the kiosk
One thing you might consider is reading BDs or bande dessinée as way to teach yourself French as it’s spoken in the street, colloquially.
Brightly colored tote bags from the Pompidou
Anyhoo, there is a big comic book exhibit on every floor of the Pompidou. 
Pompidou gift shop
Naturally I wandered into the gift shop first.
Brightly colored plastic dishware in the gift shop
So much bright color! Like being at the Sunday marchés.
Toy colorful birds on a perch
Fun, useless things that amuse & lift the spirits 
Illustrated plates by Solidad Bravi of the bizarre architecture at the Pompidou.
That’s the adventure of visiting this museum. The tunnel escalators.
And some of the best views of Paris, other than dining 🍽️ at la Tour d’Argent…or top of the Eiffel Tower…or…
Young visitors at the Pompidou
l noticed a lot of younger French visitors. Kids love this museum.
A relaxed atmosphere 
And plenty of seating..not always the case.
A cartoon on Theodore Géricault’s painting,The Raft of the Medusa. Contrasting the  ant 🐜 visitors & the grandiosity of art museums.
Cartoon illustration of Winsor MacCay
Speaking of deep perspectives, the comics of American Winsor McCay are on the 5th floor. Did you ever see Little Nemo?
Another American cartoon artist, George Herriman influenced Charlie Chaplin, Jack Kerouac, Pablo Picasso with the wild antics of Krazy Kat.
New York artist Will Eisner, creator of ‘The Spirit’ crime-fighting superhero, deeply influenced film design & Marvel comics.
Tin Tin comic page
I somehow missed the top floor with the French & Belgian comic artists like Hergé/ Tin Tin..I’ll have to go back. 
People waiting to get into the Pompidou
I’ll quit while I’m ahead… Do head up to the top floor and work your way down for the best experience in any museum. Fun looking down on the ants 🐜 waiting.
Framed Baguette letter
Look what Amy did with the Baguette 🥖 Letter!
I’m Carol Gillott, an artist living in Paris. Every month I send out beautifully illustrated letters that capture the true Parisian experience. 
Thanks for reading PB ❤️
☕️ If you’d like to support my work, you can buy me a KO-FI here  ☕️  ❤️ Thank you so much!  
Outside, near the crazy fountain you can munch a tasty fried-egg crêpe.

33 comments:

  1. Dawn Northwood6:20 AM

    When my daughter and I visited the Pompidou, we chuckled over the very serious, well-dressed guard standing sentry over an original Barbie doll on display.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous6:59 AM

      Hysterical 🤣 The French can be very serious about silly things! Ludique is the word/mot. meaning ludicrous 🇫🇷 Carol Gillott

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:01 PM

      Just a small correction: ludique actually means playful or fun

      Delete
  2. I always love a gift shop too, thanks for sharing! You’re right I don’t think I’m as into marshmallows and comics as the French, maybe if I lived there it would be different? I did read Tintin in French to practice my French, after reading them in English as a kid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:55 AM

      And Tin Tin is in the exhibit Kirra 👏 Reading adult comics is a leftover from childhood, something the French are good at - hanging on to traditions ❤️ CAROL GILLOTT

      Delete
  3. One of the things I love about Paris is the never ending opportunities to explore and you do it so well. Yes, I agree that the view from the Pompidou is one of the best! I don’t know about the comics but I love the birds on their perch.❤️🗼

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bonnie L7:45 AM

    Yes, yes, the French are wild for BD, but growing up in a US household where comic books were frowned upon, it’s hard to get very excited by it. Nevertheless, any excuse to visit the Pompidou is a good thing. Thanks for taking us along!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:00 AM

      What? You didn’t disobey and read them at night with a flashlight 🔦 An important step in brain 🧠 development was missed! You Must read comic books now, immediatement! 😄 CAROL GILLOTT

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:42 AM

      Love this response😁

      Delete
  5. Dorrance7:47 AM

    Bande dessinée…meh. Guimauve…oui! oui!. 😉

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:56 AM

      Loving ❤️ guimauve is a giant step for mankind Dorrance 👏👏👏 CAROL GILLOTT

      Delete
  6. Anonymous8:45 AM

    A little side…there is serious discussion of building a Pompidou in Jersey City, NJ
    Which would be so exciting for the U. S.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:11 AM

      Well the structure would fit in well there…I guess…

      Delete
  7. Now..I did not go IN to le Centre Pompidou..but I disliked the architecture and surroundings..nothing whispered come in to me:)My husband loved bandes dessinées as a child..Tintin... later Spirou..He bought a huge collection of Spirou for our Littles..Not one liked them lol.He loved reading the books Biggles:)Since covid I cut my own hair but far easier on long..I cut J's but so short you would not want me:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:58 AM

      See you can’t judge a book 📕 by it’s cover Monique. It’s a fun museum full of surprises and many wonderful shows. Do you read Jacques’ Spirou? It is kind of laddish but a lot to be learned anyway.
      I will call for a hair ✂️ appointment 👍 CAROL GILLOTT

      Delete
    2. Bonne chance pour tes cheveux! No I only read them with the boys..we tried to encourage reading:) They were born with a football in their hands..not a book:)

      Delete
  8. Anonymous9:16 AM

    We love the Pompidou gift shop (and museum, too)!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous9:44 AM

    I'm not a big fan of modern art, but I did enjoy visiting the Pompidou! I still have a little shopping bag I bought there. I remember Krazy Kat cartoons from my childhood (I'm dating myself here - ha!).

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous12:20 PM

    If you enjoy the Pompidou as much as I do, you must get in there very soon as it closes in 2025 for a 5 year 422£ renovation.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh. I WANT those plates! Guess I'll have to head over apres Olympics.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:04 AM

      I think it is a standard Pompidou item…not to worry. They are plastique btw Lynne 🍽️ CAROL GILLOTT

      Delete
  12. Tres magnifique! Love the comics and graphic novels, I could ignore the stories and just savor the illustrations. I think the best part of the Pompidou is the Tingeley fountain outside. The one in Basel is even more wonderful. ;-)
    And Carol, I just received your gorgeous baguette map -- Maybe your most beautiful one yet! Merci beau coup

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:08 AM

      So happy to hear Gavin you got your letter! 🤸‍♂️
      I will go back to see the Tingeley fountain (and the 6th floor French comics)
      🥖CAROL GILLOTT

      Delete
  13. Anonymous1:59 PM

    should have written : 422 million €

    ReplyDelete
  14. Dee Ann2:05 PM

    Love the Pompidou….fabulous view of the city from the top…good place to have lunch. Not into comics or marshmallows but love your blog. Receiving your letters and maps in the mail…what a delight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:00 PM

      Thank you Dee Ann 🥰 we will work on the marshmallows next visit !

      Delete
  15. Anonymous4:56 PM

    This was an especially delightful missive as my husband loves BD and is eagerly looking forward to a visit to Center Pompidou. He has recommended that I alert you to a bit at the end of the newsletter. The comic artist for Tin Tin was Belgian, not French, as was Hercule Poirot. Jan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:59 PM

      Thank you Jan, please excuse my oversight. Of course Hergé/Tin Tin was Belgian!
      https://parisbreakfasts.blogspot.com/2016/09/herge-tintin-grand-palais.html

      Delete
  16. Anonymous1:16 AM

    I saw the Pompidou show online. There is a wonderful comic art museum in Belgium that I saw after visiting Rwanda in 2012 and it has a masterful collection of Tintin and the best Tintin souvenirs in the shop. I must’ve spent $$200 on bags, buttons and T-shirts. Most of the comics in that exhibit were in French and Belgian. The Pompidou looks like a more eclectic collection. Susan

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous5:49 PM

    Carol, I truly feel for you as my "haircutter" retired after 36 years of cutting "me." Then her replacement retired, too. I'm 76 & not many (any?) left now can cut my wedge. 🤣.
    I can do some of it myself but not the back. I want my wedge! (I don't try new things easily). 😄. Good luck to you!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous8:41 PM

    PS-my first visit to the Pompidou in 2001 was when I realized that I preferred modern art the most. Live and learn!

    ReplyDelete

Love hearing from you