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(Hôtel Salé, 5 rue de Thorigny, M: St-Sébastien,
St-Paul)
This museum, in the heart of le Marais, holds the works of Picasso that
were left to the French government at the time of his death. The wide
collection follows the development of Picasso as an artist, including
his Blue, Pink, and Cubist periods, as well as his use of many different
materials.
| "Located in an impressive 17th century mansion (Hôtel Salé),
the Musée Picasso houses one of the world’s largest collections
of Pablo Picasso’s works. Through the numerous paintings
and sculptures (and the aid of our tour guide), I felt that I was
able to get a better understanding of one of the most complex minds
in the history of art. The museum organized the pieces in chronological
order, making it easy to see the evolution of Picasso’s art. Our
tour guide offered a very extensive analysis of Picasso’s work,
and although it was lengthy, it never became boring. The guide was
able to take this seemingly abstract mass of artwork and reveal
the meaning behind it. She did however have a condescending attitude,
which stole some of the museum’s charm. My favorite works included
La Celestina, and Vieil homme assis, Mougins."
(OJ) |
(77 rue de Varenne, M: Varenne)
Auguste Rodin, regarded as the best French sculptor of the 19th-century,
lived and worked in the Hôtel Biron for the last nine years of
his life. In return for a place to live and work, Rodin left his work
to the nation. Some of his most celebrated sculptures are on display
in the garden, including The Thinker, Balzac, and
The Gates of Hell. The museum is arranged in chronological
order, with highlights such as The Kiss and Eve.
| "The first museum we visited in Paris was the Musée
Rodin, housed in the Hôtel Biron, right below Les Invalides.
In our exploration of this nice museum we were accompanied by
a Spanish guide, who did a terrific job, although his tour ran
a little bit long: instead of one hour and a half, our visit lasted
no less than three hours!
"During this visit, I was impressed by Rodin's innovative
work, which revolutionized the art of sculpture at the beginning
of the twentieth century. I particularly liked the way that he
recombined various elements to create a variety of different sculptures,
reminding us of the importance of the context in which the subject
is placed. Also, I appreciated his purposely unfinished works,
which are a strong stimulus for the imagination and which can offer
a glimpse into the act of creation itself. Finally, I prized the
more abstract works like The Cathedral or The Hand
of God, which prefigured the symbolism of Brancusi, another
sculptor that I love." (CC)
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| "I had never seen much of Rodin's work besides the famous
Le Penseur ("The Thinker"), which greeted us
in the garden as we entered the museum. However, he had many more
masterpieces, which we learned A LOT about, since our Spanish
guide, Ernesto, talked for way too long. As a result of his long-windedness,
we didn't have any time to spend in the garden, where many of
Rodin's pieces lie. I was really disappointed, so I returned on
our last day in Paris and walked through the garden in the rain.
One of his sculptures, Le Baiser ("The Kiss")
ended up being one of my favorite pieces of artwork that we saw
on the entire trip. The emotion and intimacy that Rodin managed
to convey from a block of stone was beautiful." (SC) |
(M: Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre)
Containing one of the most important and rich art collections in the
world, this museum, formerly a lavish palace, is today a fitting backdrop
for the artwork it displays. A few of its masterpieces include the mysterious
Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Victoire de Samothrace
(Winged Victory of Samothrace). Its collections are vast, and
cannot be covered in just one day.
|
"Welcome to art at its finest. The Louvre is the largest and most impressive
art museum in the world. Consequently, the only fair visit to
the Louvre requires at least an entire day. But I guarantee that
it is a great investment of your time. I spent close to 6 hours
at the museum, and they were some of my most memorable. While
6 hours is insufficient to even walk the entire museum, it allowed
for enough time to see some of the famous sculptures, the Egyptian
artifacts, the Medieval Collection, Renaissance Art, the French
School, the Spanish School, and the Dutch School. Of course, these
included the favorites: the Mona Lisa, the Venus
de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. I
highly recommend the Dutch School and the French School."
(OJ) |
| "Before even setting foot inside the glass pyramidal
entrance, designed by MIT alumnus I.M. Pei, I was impressed by
the beauty and grandeur of the Louvre’s façade alone.
Built and then expanded by generations of French kings, it is
a fitting if not overwhelming home for one of the world’s
most impressive art collections. You could spend days wandering
the halls and still not have enough time to examine everything.
However, I feel that I packed quite a bit into the one afternoon
at my disposal, from ancient Egyptian artifacts to Italian sculpture
to my personal favorite, a pair of Vermeer paintings. Don’t
forget to grab a snack on your way out; the food in the museum
is excellent (even if the service is not)." (TK) |
(1 rue de Bellechasse, M:Solférino)
Housed in an old railroad station, this young museum was set up to present
artwork dating from 1848 to 1914. Most famous for its collection of
Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist works, such as those of Monet, Renoir,
Degas, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Seurat, and Toulouse-Lautrec, the Musée
D'Orsay also displays extensive collections of Art Nouveau and Sculpture
works.
| "First we made the mistake of trying to come
on a Monday, when the museum is closed but the doors are open and
there are guards who stand around and tell you the museum is closed.
When we came back on Tuesday, we were somewhat more successful:
the impressionist gallaries were open, but the rest of the museum
was off limits to the public because of filming for a television
program. Once we found our way up escalators and stairs to the top
floor, we had to walk back across the length of the museum in order
to start at the chronological beginning of the period. The gallaries
were especially crowded because the rest of the museum was closed,
and there were lots of school groups. But I probably enjoyed these
paintings more than any other art we saw on the trip: Manet, Monet,
Renoir, Degas, Sisley... the thick brushstrokes, the spectacular
lighting. Impressionism really does something for me, and the Musée
d'Orsay has a fantastic collection." (JM) |
| "This museum houses pre-impressionist to post-impressionist
French works. When we were there, a large camera crew was preparing
for a televised broadcast that night. Most of us bought our tickets
before reading the fine print, and were disappointed to discover
that most of the museum, including the entire sculpture section,
was blocked off for filming. The museum, which used to be a train
station, is immense, but well laid out. The topmost two floors house
the important works, famous paintings from mid-19th to early 20th
century. I was elated to have finally found there Manet's Déjeuner
sur l'Herbe (Lunch on the Grass). This painting contains
an undressed woman, staring out of the canvas, lying lazily near
two fully-clothed men. It was scandalous and revolutionary for its
time. Be sure to look at the Van Goghs, Monets,
and Seurats from a distance, and don't miss the rare sculptures
by Gaugin. My favorite piece in this museum is Le Bouddha
(The Buddha), a pastel by Odilon Redon. I had never seen
it before and I was blown away. It exudes serenity, and the colors
are soft but rich. You can get a reproduction for nine euros at
the gift shop." (CG) |
(30 Ave Corentin-Cariou, M: Porte de la Villette)
The Musée de la Musique, part of the Cité de la Musique
in the Parc de la Villette, brings together a collection of over 4,500
instruments, objects, and artworks covering the history of music since
the Renaissance. The permanent collection is displayed chronologically
and can be traced using infrared audio headphones.
| "The Musée de la Musique was one of our last visits.
I was looking forward to this visit for a while because I am interested
in the history of French music. In fact, I went to the local music
stores (FNAC) several times to search for contemporary French music.
Altogether, this was a good museum. I really liked their collection
of historical instruments, especially stringed instruments such
as the guitar, lute, and mandolin. You could also listen to the
music through wireless headphones. Even though the classical collection
was thorough, the contemporary collection was rather scanty and
failed to recognize the movements of the modern era. Here is my
personal
commentary of a few musée visitors." (AN) |
(1 rue des Fossées St-Bernard, M: Jussieu, Cardinal-Lemoine)
This cultural institute was founded in 1980 by France and a collaboration
of twenty Arab countries with the intention of fostering cultural links
between the Islamic world and the West. It is housed in a modern building
that combines modern materials with the spirit of traditional Arab architecture.
There is a library and media archive, as well as a small museum housing
a display of Islamic art and artifacts from the 9th to 19th centuries.
"To start, the Institut du Monde Arabe has a ninth-floor
terrace with an exceptional view of the city. It was cold (especially
since our coats were checked in the vestiare downstairs),
but the view of Notre Dame from the side was exquisite. The building's
architecture is a self-proclaimed mélange of new and old: steel
and glass juxtaposed with traditional structures like moucharabiyahs
(a modern, electronically-controlled interpretation of a circular
window shutter that dilates and contracts in response to ambient
light.)
We followed a public tour at three p.m., but were lucky enough to
be almost the only ones in the group. Our guide told us that the
museum's collection is unusual because at any given time more than
half of the items being displayed are on loan from the Institute's
member countries.The most interesting thing I learned on the tour:
Aramaic (precursor to Arabic and Hebrew) is written from right to
left because in early times, much writing was done by chisel on
large rocks. (It's decidedly more natural for a right-handed artisan
to swing a mallot in the right-to-left direction.)" (JM) |
(Ave du Château, RER: La Défence, then bus 258)
This 17th-century château was bought in 1799 by Josephine, wife
of Napoleon I. Treasured by Josephine, it became her main residence
after their divorce. Today, it is an important Napoleonic museum, with
furniture, portraits, artifacts, and mementos of the imperial family
on display in rooms reconstructed in the style of the First Empire.
"After visiting the grandiose Versailles palace, I found the simplicity
and modernity of Malmaison to be a good complement. The chateau of
Malmaison was bought by Josephine, Napoleon's first wife and empress,
in 1799 without Napoleon's consent. After their divorce in 1809,
Josephine took up permanent residence in Malmaison, and continued
to improve the chateau.
An interesting part of our visit was the opportunity of talking
to the curator of Malmaison, from whom we found out many interesting
details related to the administration of a chateau-museum like Malmaison.
In addition, we found out a funny story related to the clock located
in one of the rooms of Malmaison: a few years ago, when the personel
of the museum opened the clock for cleaning, they found an interesting
inscription inside it, which said, Merde à mon patron..."
(CC) |
 |
(25 Rue du Docteur Roux, M: Pasteur)
This is France's leading medical research center and was founded
by the scientist Louis Pasteur in 1888-1889. Pasteur discovered the
process of milk pasteurization as well as vaccines against rabies and
anthrax. The center houses a museum that reconstructs Pasteur's apartment
and laboratory. His tomb is in a lavish basement crypt.
"If you thought
everything French was good, think again! The museum of the Institut
Pasteur, dedicated to the scientific genius of Louis Pasteur,
is certainly an exception. In my opinion, it was right down there
with the Maison Victor Hugo as worst museum in Paris. The experience
began with what seemed like an incarceration into this small room
that contained some of Pasteur’s equipment. After being locked
into the room, a recorded voice began to speak (in French) in
a very monotonic tone. This first and torturous phase lasted for
about 40 minutes and put most of us in a coma-like state. The
only highlight of the museum was Pasteur’s crypt, which is located
in the basement of the apartment. It was the nicest tomb I had
ever seen. If you decide to visit the museum, I suggest you skip
everything but the crypt. And if you can’t, it’s just not worth
your time." (OJ) |
The Centre Pompidou is like a building turned inside out, with escalators,
air and water ducts, and the steel making up the skeleton of the building
all placed on the outside. The colors of the piping serve to distinguish
the pipes's various functions. Inside, along with a movie theatre and
a library, is the Musée National d'Art Moderne, which has works
of Fauvism, Cubism, and Surrealism.
| "This is the famous colored external-piping building. Although
it is labeled as a museum of modern art, the fifth floor is entirely
contemporary art. Our excellent guided tour was an in-depth account
and analysis of about ten contemporary art works. If you can afford
it, I highly recommend the guided tour, with headphones the next
best thing. Unless you are an art scholar or well-read, it is practically
impossible to understand these art works without a guide. I say
art works because contemporary art is in no way restricted to the
canvas. One memorable piece did contain a wall tableau, but it couldn't
be seen because it was blocked off by a huge cube. I love the absurdity
that is contemporary art. The contemporary artist, whose predecessors
have already mastered every medium, has nowhere to go, and so revels
in the absurd. There are some well-known works by Oldenburg, Klein,
and others. I could have spent many more hours here but we had to
go. I'm not sure what's on the middle floors, but the first floor
has a cinema, gift-shop, and kiddie section. What is important to
realize is that the Centre Pompidou is not just a museum, but an
art work itself. It was designed to suck art to it, and many concerts
and art performances are held in the surrounding square. The Centre
Pompidou is a reminder that art is not dead, not confined to
stuffy galleries displaying hundred year-old paintings." (CG) |
(M: Latour-Maubourg, Varenne)
Once a home for the wounded and homeless veterans of Louis XIV, this
imposing building now houses a military history museum, a museum honoring
the heros of World War II, and the famous Dôme Church where Napoléon
is buried.
| "Originally intended to be a hospital for wounded soldiers,
les Invalides is now a museum depicting the grandeur and demise
of Napoléon Bonaparte. Napoléon was truly an egoistic
maniac, deranged by a supremacy complex, bent on ruling the world
- a very cool guy to study! It astounds me to imagine that with
a single word uttered from his lips or by his mere presence, people
would follow him. With that supreme power of persuasion, he tried
to reincarnate a new and improved Roman Empire with Paris as its
capital. The portraits and artifacts in the museum told the story
of this French hero." (AN) |
(Versailles, RER: Versailles Rive Gauche)
This magnificent estate and its extensive gardens were the glory of
the Sun King's reign. Inside the Château, the richly
decorated private quarters of the king and queen can be seen, along
with the gorgeous Chapelle Royale, the Hall of Mirrors, and
l'Opéra. Visitors can also tour the Grand and Petit Trianons,
smaller châteaux separated from the main one by the formal
gardens and the Grand Canal.
(6 Place des Vosges, M: Bastille)
The French poet, dramatist, and novelist lived here from 1832 to 1848.
It was here that he wrote most of Les Misérables. On display
are some reconstructions of the rooms in which he lived, along with
pen-and-ink drawings, books, and mementos.
| "I was the only member of our group who liked this place.
The museum is located in Hugo's old house next to Place des Vosges.
Victor Hugo wrote some wonderful novels, but if the works in the
museum, mostly done by others, are any indication of his personality,
he must have been a disturbed man. Be prepared to see some bizarre
(sick) works, including a series of electric chair photos and the
torture device from Kafka's The Penal Colony. It gets worse
than that but I won't describe how. In retrospect, I should have
tried to understand why this sort of artwork was in Victor Hugo's
museum. If you're intrigued, like I was, and you don't mind some
extreme art, check it out. Of course you can also find what you
would expect from a Hugo museum, such as portraits, personal items,
novel-related artifacts, and so on. The top floor, which housed
his daughter, is decorated from wall to wall with Hugo's woodwork
and is worth seeing. The other group members believe this museum
should not have been on the schedule, but it's not too bad for insane
people." (CG) |
(11 Ave du Président-Wilson, M: Iéna)
This lively museum covers the significant trends in 20th-century art
and is located in the east wing of the Palais de Tokyo. The Fauves are
particularly well represented, with many paintings by Georges Rouault.
| "The Palais de Tokyo is an exhibition center for contemporary
art. It is worth seeing even if you don't care at all for contemporary
art. Right across from the museum of modern art and near the Iéna
stop on the Métro, it is only a year old but très
hip. Once you enter, you realize you're not in a traditional museum.
It is a large warehouse, with an intentionally broken-down appearance.
In addition to the gallery, there's an excellent cafe in the basement,
a small but packed book shop, and a small store of amusing collectibles.
You can enter the gallery for free if you claim you're an art student.
In any case, it's cheap and the art, if nothing else, will befuddle
you. I went to the Palais twice while I was in Paris. What I liked
best is the atmosphere; it really seems to be a hangout for the
young hipster crowd." (CG) |
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