What’s a trip to Paris without a lot of museums? This year I revisited two favorites, and checked out a few new ones.
Musée Jacquemart-André
I had read online that the Musée Jacquemart-André is a lot like the Frick here in New York, and that it was: a beautiful former home filled with eclectic art. The only thing missing was an indoor garden.
One painting that caught my eye was “Saint Georges and the Dragon” by Paolo Uccello.
Something new I learned was that Christians took the legend of dragons from the Chinese “to symbolise the deliverance of the church, oppressed by Paganism.” In other words, slaying dragons was about slaying Paganism.
Cartier Foundation
Last year I really enjoyed the Louis Vuitton Foundation so I thought I’d have the same experience with the Cartier Foundation. Not so, I’m afraid. It’s quite small, and all there was when I went was an animal sounds exhibit. Maybe good for kids, but it didn’t interest me. The nicest thing is their outdoor space with lots of trees and plants.
Musee D’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie
The Musee D’Orsay is our favorite museum so of course we had to visit it again. For some reason this time there was zero line. We couldn’t believe it. And it wasn’t too crowded.
Then we realized that might have been because one whole wing was closed. But there was still a lot to see. I got my art nouveau fix, and for the first time we went out to the roof.
My friend’s photo turned out way better than any of mine.
Another day we checked out Musée de l’Orangerie, my second time, my friend’s first. It’s very small but I love it. And if you like impressionist art, you’ll love it too.
Les Arts Decoratifs
This was a first-time visit for the both of us to Les Arts Decoratifs, mainly to see the Barbie exhibit.
It was fun although some of the displays weren’t well-lit. Plus it was really warm. We noticed that about a couple of museums. I’m used to the ones in New York that are freezing.
The exhibit traced the history of Barbie, which has had many variations. Here’s the French Barbie, in honor of our trip:
Palais de Tokyo
At first I didn’t know what to make of this contemporary art space. The upper floors had some kooky stuff.
Plus it was too warm AGAIN. Then my friend pointed out their more interesting collection on the bottom floors. That stuff reminded me of the Whitney. Unfortunately I was a bit lazy about taking pictures. But my friend took some great photos and videos.
Next up, my second favorite thing about traveling: food.