Paris, France --- Adjustable Sunscreens of Institut du Monde Arabe --- Image by © Ben Johnson/Arcaid/Corbis
If the collections of Islamic art in the Louvre have not satisfied our curiosity, it is best to go to this gigantic center, in the university district. The enclosure has a museum that aims to offer a global vision on the history and culture of the countries of the Arab League , including an amazing display of contemporary Arab art, an exhibition dedicated to the relationship between the city of Paris and the Islamic world, as well as temporary exhibitions, a specialized library and dance and film shows.
The building planned by Jean Nouvel at the end of the 80's is spectacular. For the facades, he chose to cover them with a grid of glass squares that incorporated a series of photovoltaic cells of different sizes that resemble the diaphragm of a camera, because, depending on the light, these open or close creating in the interior geometric drawings reminiscent of the lattices . Thus, the institute controls its own lighting in what we could call an intelligent building.
On its roof there is a fabulous restaurant and some views of the city without competition.
Map: See map
Address: 1, rue des Fossés Saint-Bernard/ Place Mohamed V See map
Telephone: 01 40 51 38 38
Price: €6
Schedule: Tue - Thu: 10:00 - 18:00 | Fri: 10:00 - 21:30 | Sat - Sun: 10:00 - 19:00
Guy: Galleries and museums
Official Web: Go to the web
Twitter: @imarabe
Facebook: go to facebook