Monday, February 9, 2009

25 Things I Love About Paris: #6


6. Art.

One of the things I've most enjoyed about my time in Paris is visiting art museums and special exhibitions. Washington, DC has its share of wonderful galleries, including the two buildings of the National Gallery, the Phillips Collection, Renwick, and Hirschorn, but I rarely took the time to visit either the permanent collections or the shows on tour.

Now I've got nothing but time and there's lots of art to fill it up. When we arrived in Paris, I dithered about whether to buy a yearlong pass for the Louvre. I finally gave in and found that it gives me the luxury of both circumventing the long line at the entrance and being able to savor the museum at odd hours and one room at a time. The Jeu de Paume, Musee d'Orsay, Musee Marmottan, Musee du Luxembourg plus the blockbuster shows at the Grand Palais are but a few of the places I've enjoyed time and again. There are still quite a number of smaller venues I've yet to experience. My one pet peeve? People who take pictures (particularly with their cell phone cameras) and pretend not to understand when the guards says, "sans flash." Buy a postcard, willya?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I so agree with you about the photographers in the museums here. I don't think these folks really look at the art. I was in London recently at the National Gallery, where evidently cameras are not allowed. What a pleasant experience.
Have you visited the Musee de la Chasse yet? I resisted it for years, as I am not keen on blood sport. But it is truly magical and interesting.
Terry

Anne said...

Terry: As luck would have it, I'm going there next week!

Anonymous said...

I think you'll love it. I wish my grandchildren were here; it is a perfect museum for kids.
Terry

Starman said...

My favorite is the Musée Marmottan, especially now that they've added the extra room.

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