Paris 4èmeArrondissement

The 4 ème ’s undeniable attraction is the Centre Pompidou, but those looking for a less touristed way to explore can enjoy the Musée de Jeu de Paume or take a tour of author Victor Hugo’s stately residence.

TCentre Pompidou. The Musée National d’Art Moderne is the Centre Pompidou’s main attraction. While its collection spans the 20th century, the art from the last 50 years is particularly brilliant. It features everything from Philip Guston’s uncomfortably adorable hooded figures to Eva Hesse’s uncomfortably anthropomorphic sculptures. Those looking to escape the discomfort will want to see Cai Guo-Qang’s Bon Voyage , an airplane made of wicker and vine hanging from the ceiling and studded with objects confiscated from passengers’ carry-on luggage at the Tokyo airport. On the museum’s second level, early 20th-century heavyweights like Duchamp and Picasso hold court. Most of the works were contributed by the artists themselves or by their estates; Joan Miró and Wassily Kandinsky’s wife are among the museum’s founders. For more on the Centre Pompidou, see Sights (Pl. Georges-Pompidou, rue Beaubourg. Rambuteau or Hôtel de Ville. RER Châtelet-Les Halles. ☎01 44 78 12 33; www.centrepompidou.fr. Centre open M and W-Su 11am-10pm; museum open M, W, and F-Su 11am-9pm, Th 11am-11pm; last ticket sales 1 hr. before closing. Library open M and W-F noon-10pm, Sa-Su 11am-10pm. Library and Forum free. Museum admission to permanent collection and exhibits €12, under 26 €9, under 18 free. First Su of month free for all visitors. Visitors’ guides available in bookshop.)

An Annual Affair. The Centre Pompidou rotates its permanent collection regularly and therefore constantly offers a new experience. If you plan to be in Paris for a while (ahem, students), you may want to purchase an annual pass, le laisser passer, sold in the Centre under the left escalator. (€48, over 60 €37, under 26 €22).

Mémorial De La Shoah. Opened in 2005, the Mémorial de la Shoah literally translates to Museum of the Holocaust. Also functioning as a resource center and archives, the memorial’s formal mission is to teach: to form a bridge between the generation that experienced the Holocaust and that which did not. Beautifully conceived and intensely moving, the museum accomplishes much more. Visitors enter into a small courtyard that features a series of monuments: the memorial to the Unknown Jewish Martyr, a large bronze cylinder bearing the names of the major concentration camps; and the Wall of Names, inscribed with the names of the 76,000 Jews, including 11,000 children, deported from France during the Nazi regime. Inside, there are an extensive series of exhibits recounting the deportation itself, as well as the somber but beautiful black marble crypt, shaped in the Star of David. In a dark room lit by a single flame, the crypt symbolizes the tomb of the six million Jews who died without a proper burial and contains the ashes of martyrs taken from the death camps and from the ruins of the Warsaw Ghetto. While an emotional experience, the Mémorial de la Shoah is a must-see. (17 rue Geoffroy l’Asnier, 4ème. Pont Marie or St-Paul. From Pont Marie, walk along rue de l’Hôtel de Ville with the river on your left and turn right on rue G. l’Asnier; the museum will be on your left . ☎01 42 77 44 72; www.memorialdelashoah.org. Tours every Su 3pm or upon request. Wheelchair access. Open M-W and Su 10am-6pm, Th 10am-10pm. Free.)

Musée De Jeu De Paume. Located in the Hôtel de Sully (on the lower left-hand of the courtyard), this is an annex of the main Musée de Jeu de Paume at pl. de Concorde. It shows only temporary photo exhibitions, but they are usually well worth the visit. Check the website for current showings. (62 rue St-Antoine. St. Paul. ☎01 42 74 47 75 and 01 47 03 12 52; www.jeudepaume.org. Wheelchair accessible. Open Tu-F noon-7pm and Sa-Su 10am-7pm. €5, seniors and under 25 €2.50. Admission to both Concorde and Sully €8/4. Call for tours.)

Maison De Victor Hugo. Dedicated to the father of the French Romantics and housed in the building where he lived from 1832 to 1848, the museum displays Hugo memorabilia, including little-known paintings by his family and his writing desk. On the first floor, one room is devoted to paintings of scenes from Les Misérables, another to Notre Dame de Paris, and a third to other featured plays and works. Upstairs are Hugo’s apartments, a recreation of the bedroom where Hugo died, and the chambre chinoise, which reveals Hugo’s flamboyant interior decorating skills. (6 pl. des Vosges. Chemin Vert or Bastille. ☎01 42 72 10 16; maisonsvictorhugo@paris.fr. Wheelchair accessible. Open Tu-Su 10am-6pm. Permanent collection free, special exhibits around €8, seniors €5, under 26 €4. MC/V over €15.)

It seems as though the Centre Pompidou area has become the queen bee to a bevy of galleries clustered around the giant landmark. You might also stumble upon several tucked away on side streets while strolling in the Marais.

Galerie Rachlin & Lemarié Beaubourg. This is the leading gallery of cutting-edge contemporary painting. (23 rue de Renard. Rambuteau or Châtelet. ☎01 44 59 27 27; www.galerieljbeaubourg.net. Open Tu-Sa 11am-7pm.)

Atelier Cardenas Bellanger. This gallery doesn’t let its tiny size stand in its way. Recent exhibitions include Henry Taylor’s wickedly funny paintings on race and a series of contemporary drawings. Devendra Banhart, a bearded freak-folk hero, has curated here. (43 rue Quincampoix. Rambuteau. ☎01 48 87 47 65; www.ateliercardenasbellanger.com. Open Jan. to mid-July and Sept.-Dec. Tu-Sa 11am-7pm.)

Galerie Nathalie Obadia. Gallery features new works by young artists who might just make it into the nearby Pompidou someday—come see the newest attempts to get the medium of painting back on the road to glory. (3 rue Cloître St-Merri. Hôtel de Ville. ☎01 42 74 67 68; www.galerie-obadia.com. Open M-Sa 11am-7pm.)

Galerie Du Jour Agnès B. This small contemporary gallery features photography and multimedia art, and also sells books by the gallery and documents from past expositions. (44 rue Quincampoix. Rambuteau. ☎01 44 54 55 90, library ☎01 44 54 55 98; www.galeriedujour.com. Open Tu-Sa noon-7pm. Closed late July to mid-Sept.)

Galerie De France. This well-established gallery is known for showing the work of artists like Richard Avedon, Pier Paolo Calzolari, and Patrick Faigenbaum. (54 rue de la Verrerie. Hôtel de Ville. ☎01 42 74 38 00. Open Tu-Sa 11am-7pm.)

Galerie Nelson. Features several installations a year, running from sculpture to painting to video to photography. Most are by young French artists, but other European countries are represented. (59 rue Quincampoix. Rambuteau. ☎01 42 71 74 56; www.galerie-nelson.com. Open Tu-Sa 11am-1pm and 2-7pm or by appointment.)