When it comes to art and Paris, everyone thinks of the Louvre. The Louvre is wonderful, and you can spend days and days seeing everything it holds, but Paris offers so much world-class art in other world-class museums. Today, we dive into what those Paris art museums have for for you. This guide will introduce you to the trove of artistic treasures housed in these lesser-known Parisian museums, such as the best modern art museum in Paris.
Amazing Modern Art is Displayed at Centre Pomideau
Modern Art
Be sure to plan for a day to visit the Centre Pompidou which is amazing and certainly the best modern art museum in Paris. Any art lover visiting Paris can’t miss it. The collection includes masterworks by Frida Kahlo, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, and many, many more. Plan for the better part of a day and you still might not see it all.
To help you prepare, the Centre offers a downloadable map and new visitor orientation online. In addition, they offer a one-hour orientation tour in English.
The Largest Collection of Impressionist Art in the World: Musee d’Orsay
The best-known museum for Impressionist art is Musee d’Orsay. On the Left Bank, the museum is housed in a beautiful Beaux Arts railway station built around 1900. It houses the largest collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces in the world, such as those by the acclaimed artists Morisot, Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Gauguin, and van Gogh.
Impressionist Art in Paris: Musee de l’Orangerie
It is fitting that Paris has several Impressionist collections. If you are a fan of Monet’s waterlilies, you absolutely must visit Musee de l’orangerie where you can sit in a room and be completely surrounded by them. It is an awe-inspiring and spiritual experience. A small museum in the Garden Tuileries, it is a short walk from the Louvre and also Musee d’Orsay. You can do a virtual tour of the waterlilies here.
Beyond the waterlilies, you can admire masterworks from Cezanne, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, Rousseau, Modigliani, Soutine and more.
Crowds can be very large on the first Sunday of the month, when entrance is free. Try to arrive early when it opens, usually at 9 a.m. While you can see much of it in one to two hours, if you can plan on three or four hours to really enjoy the collection.
Of course, you want to go, but know what to expect.
Are You Sure You Want to See the Mona Lisa?
There are two things you need to know before visiting the Mona Lisa in the Louvre.
First, the painting is much smaller than you expect.
Second, crowds can make it a fairly miserable experience. Depending on when you go, you may wait in a long line. When you get near it, there will be a large jostling crowd–most of whom are taking selfies. It’s more a tourist trap than a space for quiet contemplation of art.
Having said that, there is plenty of incredible art to experience in the Louvre. If you want to see the Mona Lisa, we won’t judge–we’ve done it ourselves. Just keep your expectations in check.
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