Masterpieces from the Pompidou Centre [antikvár]

Foreword GERMAIN VIATTE Curator of the Musée National d'Art Moderne How can one convey the essence of an entire museum in a mere 120 images? Even more, how does one explain the strange paradox of a 'museum' of 'modern art'? The function of any museum - to record, preserve, reflect and make choices - seems quite out of step with the whole thrust of modern art, and has, from the early days of the century, provoked endless controversy and debate. Nevertheless, such an institution became an obvious necessity, and the new concept of a place of contemplation emerged in which each work exists in its own right as well as in its interactions with the surrounding space - with the architecture, and here at the Beaubourg with Paris itself. Each confrontation, in its chronological context or within a personal universe, adds support to what Georges Salles called 'vision's ever-shifting focus'. It was as Director of the Museums of France that Georges Salles, whose keen intelligence made him an ideal collector, authorized and encouraged the creation of the Musée National d'Art Moderne in 1947. He perceived the imaginative possibilities of a dialogue between objects. No one has better described the emotional potential of a museum: the freedom it offers, the happy encounters, harmonies and clashes, the richness of diversity and choice, which kindle enthusiasm or provoke discontent. The uniqueness and charm of a museum lies in its capacity to stimulate, challenge, go beyond life, to welcome a vast throng of people, to surprise and enchant them and to open the eyes of experts no less than those of outsiders who find themselves unexpectedly overwhelmed. The layout that evolved during the first five years at the Pompidou Centre provided an interim response to certain architectural problems - problems soon to be tackled anew. It aimed to create spaces in time, harmonious or abrupt, reflecting life itself. It aimed to invite each work to speak with its own voice, unstifled by the constrictions of museography and pedagogy. Georges Salles' aims were correct: 'Instead of numbing the visitor's imagination with systematically uniform classification, let us try to provoke, to excite with our choices, to startle with surprises. This way we will effortlessly create a setting which shows things at their best. The atmosphere will sizzle with energy, there will be no dead corners or black holes. We shall have created what some call a "climate", although I prefer the term "presence", because of the strength of the works exhibited.' The Pompidou Centre confronts Paris as if it were a mirror, fleetingly reflecting the images of this century's ideas and theories. The museum's role in this visual feast is to mark each innovation and to question all that is new. It suggests to visitors the flux and movement of creativity, while respecting the character of a particular body of work. And the collection itself has its own complex history. Ranged invisibly behind the several hundred works on display, there are thousands of others which help to sum up a century of hesitations, errors, lost