Museums in Paris
The 136 museums in the city of Paris display many historical, scientific, and archeological artifacts from around the world, covering diverse and unique topics including fashion, theater, sports, cosmetics, and the culinary arts.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Belle Époque period, a series of new museums were born in Paris, many of which came from personal collections donated by philanthropists.
The Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, opened in 2006, is the latest large museum in Paris today.
Being a center of art for centuries, many works of famous artists, including Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Monet, Van Gogh, and Picasso, are stored in Paris.
Many other small museums, like those dedicated to Rodin, Picasso or Jacquemart-André, also serve to preserve mansions built by ancient nobility.
[3] The success of this event spurred the intention to build a permanent display, but this idea did not attain fruition until the French Revolution.
It was not until August 10, 1793, the anniversary of the fall of the monarchy, that the Louvre Museum was open to the public to admire the collections previously belonging to the royal family.
[7] By the end of the 20th century, Paris had gained several new museums in quick succession due to the efforts of the presidents of the current Fifth Republic.
This trend started with Georges Pompidou, who right from his inauguration decided to build a center for modern culture and art in the middle of ancient Paris.
[8] In 1973, President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing decided to establish Musée d'Orsay to display European art made between the mid-19th and early-20th centuries.
[10] Located on the banks of the Seine, in a building designed by architect Jean Nouvel, the museum welcomed nearly 1.4 million visitors annually in 2008, becoming one of Paris's most attractive tourist destinations.
It holds thousands of pieces of Chinese, Japanese and Korean art, along with many valuable collections from India as well as the countries of Central and Southeast Asia.
The museum's collection of sculptures, carpets, textiles, ivory, stained glass and other artefacts offers panoramic views and details of the daily life of European residents of the period.
[20] The artifacts of the museum, originally from the personal collection of Louis XV, has become especially diverse with many models of boats, pictures, weapons, books, and maritime instruments.
Except for the Catacombs of Paris, the archaeological site of the Notre-Dame cathedral and the exhibition spaces, all the city's museums do not charge the public for admission.
Many of these collections have been donated to the city and are now displayed at museums such as the Cernuschi and Cognacq-Jay, partly reflecting the life and society in Paris centuries ago.
Without regular display spaces, the Galliera only hosts exhibits, showcasing part of a collection of 90,000 artifacts, including many luxurious costumes of the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Carnavalet Museum displays the current diverse objects in over 100 rooms, putting on show the history of the city from prehistoric times to the present day.
Together with the Musée de la Vie Romantique, which was often visited by George Sand in her lifetime, they receive a large number of literary enthusiasts every year.
The 150,000-square-meter building, dedicated to spreading scientific and technical knowledge to the public, especially youth, is now one of Europe's largest science museums.
The building has modern architecture located along the banks of the Seine River, not far from the Eiffel Tower, and has 300,000 artifacts from civilizations in Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas.
In 2007, Grévin welcomed 762,000 visitors, ranking 14th in the most visited places in Paris, surpassing other major museums like Carnavalet or Guimet.
Before his death in 1912, Nélie Jacquemart handed down the mansion on Haussmann Boulevard and all the works that the couple had donated to the Institut de France to set up a new museum.
It exhibits many paintings of famous artists such as Botticelli, Rembrandt, Anthony van Dyck, and Jacques-Louis David along with many pieces of valuable furniture and fine art.
In the collection of the museum, besides the works of Aristide Maillol, the art of Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Wassily Kandinsky, and other artists on display.
These cultural events are an opportunity for the public to discover many valuable collections of Paris and other cities through collaborative programs with their museums.
[38] The city's major museums sand and exhibition centers such as the Grand Palais, Jeu de Paume and the Centre Pompidou draw many attendees.
Trésors engloutis d’Egypte, held in the Grand Palais' La Nef display spacem welcomed 730,000 visitors over a three-month period.
[11] With their collections of valuable artifacts and location in the "capital of light", the museums of Paris annually attract a large number of visitors, of which a significant part are foreign tourists.
The Pompidou Cultural Center, including the Museum of Modern Art, the library and exhibition spaces, welcomed 5,509,425 visitors, taking fifth place, following the Eiffel Tower.
