There are many excellent books describing some of Paris's outstanding museums, the following are some of our favorite smaller ones.
1. Les Galeries Naionales du GRAND PALAIS. [closed Tuesday], on Avenue du General Eisenhower This is a wonderful exhibition space, that is a wonder in itself. This building was buit for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. We have seen some outstanding major shows here. Coming this fall, form Sept 22, 2010 - January 24th, 2011 is a "must see" exhibit of MONET. It will be bringing together over 200 paintings from all over the globe. Tickets are required, see their website. www.grandpalais.fr/visite/en/
One of the best websites for practical info, as well as a link for tickets.
2. Musee Marmottan Monet 2 Rue Louis Boilly, 75016 Paris, closed Mondays. It houses one of the largest collections of impressionist art, it even has the painted "impression-sunrise" by Monet, which gave the name to this "new" art. This was at first a derogatory name.
It is located at 2, rue Louis Boilly in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. It features a collection of over three hundred Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works by Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
It is in an area is called Passy, which is a very fashionable section of Paris, with wonderful shops and excellent bistros for lunch or dinner. Worth the trip. Take the metro: Ranelagh on the 9 metro line.
3. Musee Jacquemant-àndre. , 158 Blvd Haussmann, in the 8th. Daily 10-6. This year Sept 24th - Jan 24th, 2011 there is a special exhibit of "Rubens, Poussin and 17th century artists, and they have one of the best, romantic cafes. This former home to a "middle class" couple who purchased great art directly from the artists, but the home is what we enjoy. Don't miss the marble staircases in the back !
4. Cognacq-Jay Museum. Daily except monday. Rue Elzevir in the 3rd. This home and the paintings, furniture and objects d'art are from the owners of Le Semaritaine department store. The collection was amassed in the early 1900's.
4. The PETIT PALAIS across from the Grand Palais. Closed Mondays. This building, too, was built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. Today, it is owned by the City of Paris. It doesn't have the depth of the major museums, but what it has is amazing..Impressionists, 17th century Dutch and Flemish, by Rembrandt, Rubens, and Ruysdael, as well as French painters Poussin and Lorrain. It also has jewelry , objects d'art and more. -In the center is an open courtyard with a garden, with a nice self serve cafe that you can eat in or out in the garden. And did I mention that this museum is FREE, except for the special exhibitions.
5. La PINACOTHEQUE 28 Place de la Madeleine, 8th, This is an exhibit space for special shows: We have gone here to see some wonderful exhibits such as masters from Holland and Rembrandts; and last year we saw the Edmund Munch including his "Scream" Check to see if they are open, and what they have. The are next door to Faucon"s, so it is not a wasted trip,as you can check out this amazing shop, and find some wonderful gifts to bring home.
6. ALBERT KIAHN MUSEE AND GARDENS, 10-14 Rue du Port, 01.44.19.28.00 closed Mondays. Last stop on metro 10 line, Boulogne Pont de St-Cloud goes right to the door. Mr Kahn was the 3rd richest person in Europe before the collapse of the economy in 1929, when he became the 3rd poorest person in Europe. But til then, he was passionate about photography, and he dispatched photographers to all parts of the world, with still cameras, 3D cameras, and movie cameras. He went to Japan, and by chance, he was there when the Emperor died in 1923. He took the only film of the funeral and all the preparation for the Emperor's funeral and tomb. Adjoining his home, are remarkable Japanese gardens he created on a huge patch of land. After 1929, the government was forced to take over and maintain his homes [now the museum] and gardens. The museum has many of the thousands of pictures on display of the 50 different Countries of the world, , as well as condensed projections of the funeral. But as wonderful as the museum is, the gardens are extraordinary. For photography buffs, this is a must see.
There are over 175 museums in Paris and we have visited many, many of them. We remember going to the Monet exhibit in NY one year, and then a few years later, it was staged at the Grand Palais in Paris. Same exhibit, different experience. In Paris, the first room was a recreation of a old theater with creaking floors to set off the old playbills drawn by Monet in his younger days. The outdoor art was in a setting creating the outdoors, cooler weather, leaves on the grown, birds chirping from speakers.
A museum rarely visited by tourists includes the
Carnavalet Museum in the Marais area [16 Rue des Francis Bourgeois, 75003. ] Dedicated to the history of the City of Paris, it is a sprawling building which tells the history of the original
Medieval city, Lutetia, , the French Revolution, Paris in the 19th century through today. We particularly enjoy the art gallery of paintings donated to the museum depicting Paris life. One painting that we particularly love is by Albert Guillaume [1873-1942] entitled “les Retardataires [the latecomers]
arriving late for the opera, slowly walking to their seats in the middle, annoying the rest of the audience, waving to their friends, oblivious to the upheaval they are causing.
The Museum is free, except temporary major exhibits, and is closed Mondays.
Another small museum, the
Pasteur Museum, which appealed to me because Pasteur was a chemist and early microbiologist. Though not a physician, he found immunizations for many diseases, such as smallpox, cowpox, rabies, and his work led to the discovery many more. Fermentation, which was a revolution in thinking, was discovered and named for him. He saved the wine industry in France which made him a hero in France and the silk worm industry, which made him a hero in China. Much of the equipment, though crude by today’s standards, had to be developed by him and his lab. As a chemist, I was intrigued that these basic experiments and pieces of equipment, went on to save countless lives. Open Monday thru Friday. It can be visited by tour only. Pasteur Institute, 25 rue du Doctor Roux, 75015.
The Museum and Gardens Albert-Kahn, 10-14 rue du Port, 92100,is located just at the edge of Paris. Go on a beautiful day, for this museum includes 14 hectares, about 34 acres, of gardens. Mr Kahn was the third richest man in France until Oct 1929 when his bank failed. He was a photographer, taking pictures in B/W, Color, and filming movies. He traveled all over the world. His garden reflects these travels. One major part of the grounds is a beautiful Japanese garden. He and his staff of photographers happened to be in Japan when the Emperor died in 1920. He took numerous pictures of the funeral preparations and of the funeral itself, continuing right through to the succession of the next Emperor. It is an amazing depiction of Japan, which was a closed society.
