Paris Art
Paris Art
by Simon Temple
by Simon Temple
I make a point of getting to Paris every three years because I find it to be the perfect passage of time for which to allow
museums and galleries to update their offerings. I always travel during summer time, to better allow myself the opportunity to walk about and immerse myself in the tourist throngs that inevitably descend on this fair city. There’s something special about vicariously enjoying the experience through the old and the young, experts and novices, uninitiated and blasé. Art tends to do that to one, especially someone with the passion I’ve had for them throughout my life.
My grandmother brought me to Paris from England nearly 50 years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’ll never forget the ferry crossing, then a bus trip and finally arriving. When you’re young, the City of Lights takes on a mythical sheen, and when you’re walking the grounds of Notre Dame de Paris, the Eiffel Tower or Basilique du Sacre-Coeur it just doesn’t get much better. But wait, I digress. It really does get better!
When I was younger my parents enrolled me in every kind of art class in order to satiate my desire to be an artist, to have my works hung in the great museums of Paris; the Louvre, Museum d’Orsay, Museum Rodin, or any of the smaller galleries that abound there. I studied, I drew, I painted, but unfortunately it was for naught. I’m a lousy artist, with no discernible skill.
Though I gave up trying to be an artist, I decided that I would admire art and the world that surrounds it. Of course, when you are a connoisseur of the arts, you have great leeway in determining what is merely good, or really great. Visiting Paris means you have at your disposal some of the best places to view art as well as great dining and entertainment, to speak nothing of the world’s most naturally romantic setting to explore them in.
Finding accommodation in Paris is like treasure hunting, with every imaginable kind of hotel or lodging available in every style. Finding a special place is its own reward, and depending on where you plan to explore the art scene you will narrow your picks. My favourite areas are the ones around the Louvre and the Museum D’Orsay, with their multitude of choice for great inns tucked back down narrow cobblestone alleys and more prominent, conspicuous grand dames proudly towering over the main avenues. Much attention goes into preserving the context and ambiance of the neighbourhoods in these parts of Paris, the museum sectors.
Most people pick the Louvre as their must-see Paris art location, given its marquee status, but for me it’s no contest: Museum d’Orsay is my absolute first choice. Located on the Seine River, d’Orsay has everything you would want in art museum if you are looking for French-centric and impressionist masterpieces. Housed in an ornate former train station, the museum offers impressive collections of painters such as Monet and Renoir, as well as portraits by Van Gogh, Degas, and Denis.
What’s incredible about this museum is just how intimate the viewing is, as so many of these great works are less then a metre away from the observer. Most gallery sections have the barest of security, so visiting the Museum d’Orsay is very much a matter of trust, with the vulnerability of the art generating an experience that is almost transcendent, in the way that holding fragile things dear to you is so powerful emotionally.
Museum Rodin is another favourite. Featuring French sculptor Auguste Rodin, its opulent and splendidly manicured grounds feature most of the famous artist’s best work, including The Thinker and The Kiss. Housed in the former Hotel Biron and surrounding grounds, it’s impossible not to be inspired by the setting. Another important venue is the Picasso Museum located not far from the Louvre, in the former Hotel Salé. The great artist’s works are spread out amongst several floors and throughout the courtyard the building surrounds.
Picasso the artist once referred to himself stating “I am the greatest collector of Picassos in the world”, which by the time of his death in 1973 numbered over 3000 works. Strolling about, it’s easy to imagine bumping into the peculiar man himself, as there are many, many personal mementos in the museum, including newspaper clippings and personal photos that evoke his personal life in a cosy manner.
Of course, no visit to France is complete without honouring the great one itself, the Louvre. The Louvre is perhaps the greatest museum on earth, housing 35,000 works of art on display on over 60,000 square metres of exhibition space. The museum not only displays some of the most famous works ever created, such as the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and Madonna of the Rocks, it even exhibits a portion of the original foundation of the medieval Louvre, what was once its former southeast corner.
A visit to the Louvre can extend into many days if you devote time to all of its different wings and exhibits. Over the years, I’ve found myself drawn to particular sections and genres in the Louvre, but never missing the temporary exhibitions that are endlessly cycling through. In the evening, once I’ve finished the day dwelling amongst the greatest art collection in the world, I just love to wander about the magnificent glass pyramid that is the centrepiece of the square and is the main entrance.
Sipping my steaming cup of cappuccino, I marvel at the grandiosity of it all, in this incredibly beautiful and oh-so-romantic city of Paris. If you’ve never been, you must visit before you pass on, for nowhere is the pure creativity of humankind better displayed.
For other articles on Paris, go to our archive
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