On the northern edge of the Pompidou Centre, down some steps off the piazza, in a small separate one-level building, is the Atelier Brancusi (daily except Tues 2–6pm; combined ticket with the Musée National d'Art Moderne). Upon his death in 1956, the sculptor Constantin Brancusi bequeathed the contents of his 15e arrondissement studio to the state, on the condition that it be reconstructed exactly as it was found. The artist became obsessed with the spatial relationship of the sculptures in his studio, going so far as to supplant each sold work with a plaster copy, and the four interconnected rooms of the studio faithfully adhere to his arrangements. Studios one and two are crowded with fluid sculptures of highly polished brass and marble, his trademark abstract bird and column shapes, stylized busts and objects poised as though they're about to take flight. Unfortunately, the rooms are behind glass, adding a feeling of sterility and distance. Perhaps the most satisfying rooms are ateliers three and four, his private quarters, where his tools are displayed on one wall almost like works of art themselves.
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