Paris France Travel Museums
From LoveToKnow Travel
Museums are some of the most important and interesting Paris France travel attractions. Whatever your interests, there’s sure to be a Paris museum that showcases them. Of course, there are the great museums, such as the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay, but Paris also has dozens of smaller, less crowded, specialized museums, such as the Carnavalet Museum and the Rodin Museum.
The Louvre
No list of Paris France travel attractions would be complete without talking about the Louvre. This massive building, a former royal palace, consists of three levels and miles of corridors and exhibition space. In stark contrast to the 14th, 15th, and 16th century architecture of the palace is the sleek, modern, glass pyramid entrance to the museum, designed in the 1980s by architect, I.M. Pei.
The Louvre’s collection contains hundreds of thousands of art works, ranging from primitive art to ancient Greek and Roman sculpture to Italian and French Renaissance painting and sculpture to 18th century Flemish, Spanish, and French painting. The most famous piece in the Louvre is da Vinci’s enigmatic portrait, Mona Lisa. Other important pieces include the Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the collection of Rubens and Rembrandts. Don’t try to see everything in one day – or even in one week. Sample the museum slowly by choosing one period or one wing and spend your visit there.
Paris France Travel: Musee d’Orsay
The Orsay is Paris’ tribute French art from 1850 to 1900, housed in a magnificent Belle Époque former railroad station. The building itself is worthy of a visit. The museum has retained the huge ornate station clock, the former hotel restaurant (now the museum’s restaurant), and the hotel’s gilt ballroom. The impressive building is over 189 yards long and over 82 yards wide, and hosts over 2.2 million visitors annually.
There are over 4000 works of art in the Orsay’s permanent collection. Most popular is the extraordinary collection of French Impressionist art. Housed on the museum’s third level, this exhibit includes dozens of works by Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Utrillo,Degas, and many more. Also worth the visit is the museum’s Art Nouveau exhibit. This collection of furniture, art glass, jewelry, and various household items, including many by Hector Guimard (best known for his ornate Paris Metro stations), is like a step back in time to fin de siecle Paris.
Musee Rodin
The Musee Rodin is an often over-looked Paris France travel attraction. It is dedicated to the work of 19th century sculptor, Auguste Rodin, perhaps best known for his work, The Thinker (Le Penseur), casts of which sit in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, among other locations. There’s also a cast at the Robin Museum.
This comprehensive, one-man-show is housed in the Hotel Biron, an elegant townhouse that was once Rodin’s home. The artist’s rugged, moving, life-like pieces, created from granite, marble, clay, and bronze are displayed simply, in the mansion’s elaborately paneled rooms. The formal rose garden behind the house is punctuated with Rodin sculpture and is an ideal place for an afternoon stroll.
Paris France Travel: Musee Carnavalet
This uncrowded museum is located in the trendy and avant-garde, Marais neighborhood. It is dedicated to Paris city history from the 16th century through the 19th century. This topic is not nearly as dry as it sounds. Previous Parisian eras come alive with dozens of authentic, carefully reconstructed rooms from mansions, palaces, and businesses as well as with clothing and jewelry, household items, musical instruments, and furniture, representative of each era. The house itself, a 16th century mansion designed by Louvre architect Pierre Lescot, is magnificent with its floor-to-ceiling French windows, parquet floors, and massive marble staircases.
Picasso Museum
Also located in the Marais district is the Picasso Museum, officially the Musee National de Picasso, and another must-see Paris France travel attraction. Opened in 1985, this huge collection of the 20th century master’s work was given to France by the painter’s heirs to help settle a tax obligation. The modern paintings are housed in an ornate 16th century mansion and the contrast between the old and the new is an effective one. The exhibition takes visitors through Picasso’s work, chronologically, from the painter’s early days through his blue period and on to his more abstract, later works. The museum also displays works by Picasso’s famous friends, such as Georges Braque,Henri Matisse, andJoan Miro.
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