Celebrating the publication of Filippo Tommaso Marinetti‘s “Manifesto of Futurism” on the front page of the Figaro newspaper on 20th February 1909.

"L’Inhumaine" de Marcel L’Herbier, 1914© Coll. Centre Pompidou


Futurism, the first avant-garde movement of the 20th century, celebrated technical progress, the energy of crowds, and the hectic activity of modern cities. In place of the balance and stability inherited from classical models, it wished to substitute modern vigorousness, dynamism and speed that disintegrate forms.

The Centre Pompidou has made the re-interpretation of the principal movements in the history of art in the 20th century one of the key directions of its new strategy for temporary exhibitions. In this framework, the exhibition’s ambition is to re-assess the place and the status of Futurism, a fundamental source of modern art, and to examine its impact on the French avant-garde, Cubism, inviting viewers to make a fresh analysis of the relations between these two movements through more than 200 works and documents.

Umberto Boccioni. Stati d’animo : Quelli che vanno, 1911© The Museum of Modern Art, New York

All the Futurist painters, as well as Georges Braque, Robert Delaunay, Félix Del Marle, Marcel Duchamp, Albert Gleizes, Frantiek Kupka, Fernand Léger, Kasimir Malévitch, Jean Metzinger, Francis Picabia, Pablo Picasso and Ardengo Soffici are the protagonists of this dialogue whose echo was international in scope, as Futurist concepts became a source of inspiration for numerous artists, from London to Moscow. Decidedly optimistic about the future, Futurism invented a new relationship between man and the modern world based on unconditional faith in mankind’s prospects. By focusing on the Futurist adventure, the Centre Pompidou is realizing its primary ambition: to show how the creative vision of artists shapes the thinking, action and perception of each epoch.

Critical Arrangements by Jeff Mills

A visual and sound installation by the artist Jeff Mills offers a contemporary extension of the works presented. The visitor finds himself immersed by a giant mechanical hive made of many videos which accumulate themselves in a frantic and pulsating rhythm, as a reference to the machine cogs that the Futurists praised and glorified. The installation includes a soundtrack and videos specially created by Jeff Mills. Originally from Detroit, Jeff Mills is considered as one of the most brilliant DJ and producer of Electronic Music. For over ten years, Mills has been involved in a large number of collaborations in contemporary art and experimental performances: fascinated by cinema, he works on the fusion of sound and image, searching in the worlds of psychology, science fiction and futurism.

Here’s all the essential information for the exhibition “Le Futurisme à Paris – Une avant-garde explosive” at the Pompidou Centre

When: 15th October 2008 – 26th January 2009
Where: Centre Pompidou (Beaubourg), place Georges Pompidou, 75004 Paris. Métro Rambuteau (line 11), Hôtel de Ville (lines 1 & 11), Châtelet (almost all lines). Bus n°s 21 / 29 / 38 / 47 / 58 / 69 / 70 / 72 / 74 / 75 / 76 / 81 / 85 / 96
Opening hours: open every day except Tuesdays and the 1st May from 11am – 9pm. Late night opening Thursdays (11pm)
Admission: adults 12 euros, free for under-18s.
More information (PDF): here

Bigger map here