Centre Pompidou in Blue

What it is

"Bleu | Blue" is a themed Pinterest board run by the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The description says it plainly: every shade of blue at the Centre Pompidou. Instead of sorting the collection by period or medium, the museum walks through it by a single colour, and the result hangs together surprisingly well.

There are more than a hundred pins. Matisse's "Blue Nude II" and his "Interior, Goldfish Bowl" sit next to works by Georges Rouault and the painter Dado, a 1920 stoneware cup by Émile Decoeur, Ettore Sottsass's 1968 Asteroid lamp, a Quasar lounge chair, Jean Widmer's illuminated poster and even a blue teapot. Painting, furniture, graphic design and everyday objects end up in one row because they share a colour.

Captions are mostly in French, usually just the title of the work plus "Centre Pompidou". The board description is also given in English, but there is no long commentary. Pins lead to the museum's collection pages, where you get the artist, the date and the materials.

Why we picked it

Most museum boards on Pinterest are either exhibition ads or archives nobody has touched in years. This one is alive: the museum was still adding pins in 2026. And it is built on a simple, strong idea, one colour instead of a timeline.

That approach trains your eye. When an Art Deco cup, a space-age lamp and late Matisse share a screen, you start noticing how differently the same blue behaves: deep and matte in glazed ceramics, flat and bright in paper cut-outs, cool and glossy in plastic. It is a ready-made exercise for artists, designers, or anyone choosing colours for a room.

It is also a rare chance to see the Pompidou's fine art and its design collection in a single feed. They are usually shown apart.

Where to start

• Find Matisse's "Blue Nude II" and compare it with the other blue paintings and cut-outs on the board.
• Look at the 1960s design pieces, the Sottsass Asteroid lamp and the Quasar chair, to see how blue became the colour of the space age.
• Open Émile Decoeur's 1920 cup and follow the pin to the collection page for the material and technique.
• Save five or six pins in different blues and you have a working colour palette.
• Visit the museum's profile for its other themed boards, including one on design and graphics.

Who it's for

Artists and illustrators hunting for colour references. Interior and graphic designers who want palettes with real provenance. Anyone planning a trip to Paris who wants a preview of what the Pompidou holds. And Pinterest regulars who love a good mood board but are tired of images with no artist and no source.

You don't need French to enjoy it: the titles are short and the works carry the board on their own.

Quick answers

Who runs this board? The official Centre Pompidou account on Pinterest.

Is it still updated? Yes, the most recent pins at the time we checked were added in 2026.

What language are the captions in? Mostly French; the board description is also in English.