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Paris - The best museems
Perhaps frenetic is the best word to describe architectural and arts activity in Paris during the last two decades. While Mitterand was in office, the French government instituted a series of grand projets, thereby assuring that Paris would become the focus of international attention. A number of new museums were created, in part to relieve the Louvre of its overcrowding, and to establish thematic exhibits, typified by such locales as the Institut du Monde Arabe. For those who plan to visit many monuments and museums during your séjour à Paris, See Paris offers the "Museums and Monuments Card" (Carte Musées et Monuments), valid for unlimited visits and priority access to approximately 70 locations in — and near — Paris.
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The Louvre
Originally built in the 12th century as a royal fortress and palace for Philip II, the Louvre evolved into an immense complex of buildings erected over a span of four centuries, and is now one the world's great art museums. A full week's tour could not do justice to its daunting collection of masterpieces and antiquities, though the star attractions are fairly well indicated, so that a hurried tourist can manage in an hour's visit to ogle the Venus de Milo or squint at the Mona Lisa (La Joconde), protected behind a thick pane of glass since her unfortunate slashing. Much ado has been made about the museum's controversial new glass pyramid entrance, which was designed by I.M. Pei and railroaded past opposition from (former mayor) Jacques Chirac — and a whole chorus of architectural traditionalists — by then-president François Mitterand during the period of grands projets.
Palais de la Découverte
Situated in the center of Paris, close to the Champs-Elysées, the Palais de la Découverte is Paris' original science museum, housing works and designs from Leonardo da Vinci's extraordinary inventions onwards. Replicas, models, audio-visual material and real apparatus are used to bring the displays to life. A permanent display covers man and his biology, light, and the principles of thermo-dynamism. Also offered are scientific experiments for budding genetic engineers, lectures, planetarium shows, scientific films, as well as a number of temporary exhibitions and children's activities.
Musée National d'Art Moderne
A post-modern architectural showcase which some find fascinating and others abhorrent, the Centre Georges Pompidou serves as a heavily frequented cultural hypermarket. Nicknamed Beaubourg for the ancient neighborhood it now occupies, it attracts an average of 26,000 visitors daily, some of whom come solely for the ride in its glass-enclosed elevators or its breathtaking view of Paris. Housed within this complex you will find temporary exhibitions in the Grandes Galeries, or the superb collections of the Musée National d'Art Moderne. Treat yourself to art from all the "ism" periods: fauvism, cubism, dadaism, surrealism, nouveau realism, as well as abstract and Pop Art. On the ground floor, the cinémathèque offers up an excellent film programme daily, while dance performances and concerts take place in the basement.
Musée National Picasso
Opened in 1985 in a renovated seventeenth century Marais mansion (Hôtel Salé) lushly decorated with stone carvings and wrought iron fixtures, the Musée National Picasso contains an unparalleled collection of paintings from all periods of Picasso's career. Acquired by the State as part of a deal with Picasso's heirs in lieu of inheritance taxes, the collection spans six decades of creativity, including the unabashedly ribald pictures the artist produced in his later years, as well as some fine sculpture.
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Musée Rodin
Perhaps best known for his rendition of "The Thinker", Auguste Rodin was one of France's foremost sculptors during the latter 19th and early 20th centuries. One of Paris' most pleasant museums, the Musée Rodin now occupies the stately Hôtel Biron's house and gardens in the Faubourg St-Germain, where the sculptor once lived. Since Rodin left all his works to the State, visitors will find all their favorites there, such as the famous Kiss, the moving Cathedral, the elaborate Gates of Hell, the final proud portrait of Balzac, and the eternally absorbed Thinker.
The Salon Chopin
The Salon Chopin, situated in the Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris (6, quai d'Orléans, 75004), is a room dedicated to the memory of the composer, Chopin, containing personal memorabilia, paintings, manuscripts, documents, and music. Public access is limited to four guided tours on Thursdays or by appointment.
The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie
Three times the size of the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie is a massive monument with walls of glass, which would seem almost unapproachable if not for its Géode, a bubble of reflecting steel that seems like it was dropped from an intergalactic game of boules into a pool of water. Within the Géode, half the sphere consists of the largest projection screen on the planet. The Cité was built in 1986, with a futuristic rooftop lighting system designed to follow the sun across the sky. The permanent Explora show whisks visitors through 323,000 square feet of "space, life, matter and communication" exhibits, featuring scale models of satellites, planes and robots. A number of multimedia shows take place both in the second-floor Planetarium and the hemispherical cinema of the Géode, which are very popular with children.
Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume
Though it originally served as the royal tennis court, built under Napoleon III, the Jeu de Paume was converted into a museum at the beginning of the 20th century. As the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, it inherited an important collection of Impressionist paintings in 1947. Alas, this collection was transferred to the Musée d'Orsay in 1986. Recently, it has been converted to a showcase for contemporary art and photographic exhibits.
Musée des Arts et Métiers
Founded in 1794 and established in the abbey of St-Martin-des-Champs, the Musée National des Arts et Métiers is a "depot of new and useful inventions". Marvel at the unique collection of 80,000 objects and 15,000 drawings, a testament to the ingenuity of humankind and the pioneering spirit of the industrial revolution. The museum recently underwent restoration work as one of a spate of major State building projects.
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