MUSEUMS OF PARIS

One of the marvelous things about Paris is that you can spend a lifetime exploring the city. If you are a lover of art of any period in history, the museums of the city are for you. Here are just a few of your options.

THE PICASSO MUSEUM
Right in the middle of the fashionable Marais district, in between Pompidou Center and Place des Vosges, the Picasso museum is entirely devoted to the great Spanish painter Pablo Picasso (1881/1973). Housed in Hôtel Salé, a 1656 superb city mansion, it was opened in 1985 with 203 paintings and 156 pieces of sculpture. The museum was further enriched in 1990 with 47 paintings from Jacqueline Picasso’s collection. Among the many works you will find a 1901 self portrait, the 1906 two brothers and self portrait, the 1917 portrait of Olga in an armchair, the 1925 kiss, the 1931 woman in a red armchair and the 1937 portrait of Dora Moor. Hôtel Salé 5, rue de Thorigny Tel: 33 (0)1 42 71 25 21 Hours: 9:30 am to 6:00 pm Metro: Saint-Paul station on line 1 (10 minutes walk). Website: http://www.musee-picasso.fr/ (in French, only)

THE POMPIDOU CENTER
The Pompidou Center (Centre Pompidou in French) is one of the most spectacular buildings of Paris. Its 1977 factory-style architecture starkly contrasts with the surrounding houses of Paris’ oldest district near Notre- Dame cathedral. You like the Pompidou Center or you don’t, but you will not forget it with its glass facade, its external stairs and the red, blue and green external pipes on the rear facade. The Museum has large collections of paintings spanning the 20th century, including works by Picasso, Braque, Max Ernst, Magritte, Chagall, Matisse, Delaunay, Kandinsky, and Klee. Centre Pompidou Place Georges Pompidou 75004 Paris Tel 33 (0)1 44 78 12 33 Open Wednesday through Monday (closed Tuesday). Metro telet les Halles and Rambuteau stations. Website: http://www.centrepompidou.fr/Pompidou/Accueil.nsf/Document/ HomePage?OpenDocument&sessionM=1&L=2

THE LOUVRE
The Louvre palace in Paris dates back to 1190. For eight centuries, it was continuously enlarged and embellished by French kings and emperors. President François Mitterrand added the latest renovation with his “Le Grand Louvre” project that included an extension and the complete restructuring of the museum. The famous I.M. Pei glass pyramids mark the new entrance to the museum. It displays the famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci and many other first-class paintings from across Europe. It also houses a superb collection of Egyptian pieces of arts. From the pyramid entrance, you can also access one of the best and largest shopping centers in Paris. The relaxing Tuileries garden nearby is one of the most beautiful parks in Paris. 75058 Paris Cedex 01 Tel: 33 (0)1 40 20 53 17 Recorded info : 33 (0)1 40 20 51 51 Metro: Palais Royal on line 1 Bus: 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95 Hours: Open 9:45 am to 6:00 pm (9:45 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays) Closed Tuesdays Entrance fee: 7.5 Euro before 3:00 pm, 5 Euro after 3:00 pm and on Sundays Website: http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home. jsp?bmLocale=en Paris

LA CITÉ DE LA MUSIQUE
With its refreshing and sunny architecture, designed by French architect Christian de parc, the relatively new Cité de la Musique is more a concert hall than a museum! Equipped with infrared headphones, visitors can walk across the rooms and listen to classical music played by the beautiful antique instruments on display. In addition to the museum, the Cité de la Musique includes a concert hall and the French National Conservatory of Music. The Cité de la Musique lies on the southern edge of the large La Villette park. It can be part of a very relaxing and interesting day including the Cité des Sciences. Children will like both the Cité de la Musique and the Cité des Sciences and will enjoy playing in the park. 221, Avenue Jean-Jaurès Tel: 33 (0)1 44 84 44 84 Metro: Porte de Pantin station on line 5 Hours: Closed on Monday; Tuesday to Saturday – 12:00 to 6:00 pm Friday: closes at 9:30 pm; Sunday: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Website: http://www.cite-musique.fr

THE RODIN MUSEUM (MUSÉE RODIN)
This museum is housed in a lovely 18th century private palace, very close to the es military hospital in Paris. It displays a large collection of Auguste Rodin’s sculpture. Among his many works displayed in the museum are the Hell’s Gates, the Burghers of Calais, and The Thinker. These very strong and expressive pieces of sculpture were quite a shock when they appeared in the middle of the 19th century. 77, rue de Varenne tel: 33 (0)1 44 18 61 10 Metro: Varenne station on line 13 Buses: 69,82, 87, 92 Hours: Closed on Mondays. April to September: 9:30 am to 5:45 pm Price: Five Euro Website: http://www.musee-rodin.fr/welco-a.htm

THE MARMOTTAN (MUSÉE MARMOTTAN)
In addition to the museum presents a splendid collection of paintings by Claude Monet donated by his son Michel Monet: 65 major works including Impression Soleil Levant, the Rouen cathedral and a few Nymphéas. The Nymphéas are the waterlilies paintings, which Monet painted in his last years in his Giverny house in Normandy. 2, rue Louis Bailly tel: 33 (0)1 42 24 07 02 Metro: La Muette station on line 9 Hours: Closed on Mondays Open 10:00 am to 5:30 pm Website: http://www.marmottan.com/uk/

THE MUSÉE ORSAY
The museum was originally designed as a train station in 1900. By the 1950’s it became apparent that the platforms were too short for modern trains and the building became home to a theatre. In the 1970’s it was remodeled and converted into a museum dedicated to displaying art from the period 1848 to 1915. The museum’s main exhibitions are presented chronologically, with the work of the Impressionists taking center stage but also including Academism, Realism, Symbolism and Art Nouveau. There are many masterpieces including work by Delacroix, Gauguin, Cézanne, Monet, Renoir, Sisley, and van Gogh. The station clock remains, as does the spectacular ironframed glass roof and many other reminders of the practical beauty of infrastructure engineering. 62, rue de Lille, Paris 7e Hours: 9:30 am to 6:00 pm 9:30 am to 9:45 pm on Thursdays Closed on Mondays Price: 8 Euro Metro: Solferino, line 12 Bus: 63, 69, 83, 84, 94
Website: http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/home.html

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