Activity Booklet
Architecture
For 6- to 12-year-olds

Welcome tothe Bourse
de Commerce— PinaultCollection

STARTING LINE
This old building, very high and very round, carries lotsof secrets. Today, it’s a contemporary art museum, but thatwasn’t always the case!
We invite you now to have a look at
its history and architecture, to discover
how this building came to be, andwhat it was used for in the past.

HIDDEN
WORKS OF ART
You can find works of art
just about anywhere, here.
One of them is a shy littlewhite mouse.
Want a clue? It’s hiding
on the ground floor,
close to the lifts.

What language is it
speaking?

We invite you tolisten to the little
mouse’s tale here:

THE ARCHITECTFAMILYJEAN BULLANT

On the ground floor,
in the Salon, lookcarefully at the model.

"I built the oldest
element: a 31-metrehigh column that you
can find outside."

H E N R I B LO

NDE

L

"A few years later,
I decorated the building
with paintings andsculptures. I added a greatglass top to the dome,too."Architects imagine, create and make buildings.
They draw plans, make models and then direct construction.
Here, about ten different architects worked on and modified thisbuilding over the last 500 years. It’s like a layered cake!

TA DA O A N D ONICOLAS
LE CAMUSDE MÉZIÈRES

"I’m the latest architect to haveworked here. In 2020, I madethe large grey cylinder, on topof which you can enjoy a stroll.""200 years later, I imagined
the building’s roundshape, and I invented an
extraordinary staircase!"

And now, how about
going to discoverthese four architects’
inventions?

16thC E N T U R YA PALACEAND A COLUMN
Once upon a time, there was a very
old column full of mystery...
Built in 1578 for Catherine de’ Medici
beside her palace, it is said that thequeen used to take a secret door toascend the column and see the stars.
Today, the palace is gone, but the oldcolumn is still there!

Finish the drawing,
imagining what the queen’s
luxurious house looked like.

18th

C E N T U R Y

A CORNEXCHANGE
AND A STAIRCASE
Look for the double
helix stairs, close tothe bookshop.
It was built in the 18thcentury, when the building
was an enormous storage
area for wheat.

Why is it shaped like this?
A. To make a funny snail-like staircase?
B. To help workers carrying heavy sacks on theirbacks, with one stairway for going up and anotherfor coming down?
C. So that children could play cat and mouse?

Answer: B. The pileups must stop!

19th

C E N T U R Y

A COMMODITIESEXCHANGE
AND A PAINTING
On the second floor,
go out onto the promenoir
and lift your eyes.
In 1889, the building became a placeof trade, and its dome’s appearancechanged... Here, the price of foodfrom all over the world was decided on.
The artists who painted this canvas
hadn’t travelled much: they represented
some of the countries as they
imagined them.

Look carefully at the communities
that are represented. Do you see
any stereotypes*?

* STEREOTYPES :Representing a group of persons according toour own (often wrong) way of seeing their
physical attributes or their behaviour.

BACK TOTHE PRESENT
Go back down to
the ground floor.
Our journey throughtime is coming toa close, at the heart ofthe Rotunda!
Tadao Ando, an architect of our era, transformed the building
into a museum. Nothing was destroyed – elementsfrom the past, like the column, the stairs and the paintings,
were all kept as they were.
The architect added a large grey cylinder at the centreof the building.

This material is often
used in building. Touchit! Do you know whatis it?

CTHE MATERIALFAMILY

Link each mysterious
materials to its
description.

A. Brown or beige, I’m usedfor building huts and pirateships.
B. Transparent, I let lightthrough, but I stop rainfrom coming in.
C. Dark grey and resistant,I’m used for bridges andhigh-rise buildings. Here,I was used for the dome.
D. Smooth and black, I can befound on roofs. Childrenof yesteryear used me atschool with chalk.

Answers: A: wood; B:glass; C: iron; D: slate.

It’s your turnto invent!

In 50 years’ time, it’s
possible that this building
may not be a contemporary
art museum at all. It could
be transformed again,
by one or several architects!

Imagine a new use
for your buildingof the future.
Draw your model
below:

A surprise is waiting for you in themuseum’s basement (on level -2):
Come and discover the Engine Room andlook at the huge wheels. In the 19th century,
their job was to make a giant fridge work!

At the Bourse
de Commerce, you canlook at art throughthe eyes of a child
Free entry to the museum
for under-18s.

W he reGa me sL e arn
YouWorkshops
That Are Fun

t s W he r eVisiYourself
You LetBe L e dMeet at the Mini Salon, a freeaccess space for big and small.
There’s something happening hereevery weekend from 11:30am to 5pm.
Free, no need to book

Time out for parents: children meet up
for an Architecture or an Exhibition
workshop.
Price : 12€
Free with the Pinault Collection
Membership card

Explore the museum, hand in hand,during a Family Visit.
Price : 5€ for the under-18s
Museum ticket + 5€ for adults.
Free with the Pinault Collection
Membership card

Discover all our activities for young
visitors on pinaultcollection.com