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Photographer in Paris - Charlotte Moss visits the City of Light - part 3 of 1 2 3 4 5

Published 01/06/2015

I was surprised to find that the major art institutions, such as the Louvre, don't really have any photography on display. However, then I discovered that Paris has three dedicated photography museums and that explained the reason why! There is the Maison Europeenne de la Photographie in the Marias district showing primarily contemporary photography (admission is free on a Wednesday evening). A short walk away is the Galerie Nationale de Jeu de Paume where exhibitions of modern and postmodern photography and other media are shown. Originally built as indoor tennis courts, it stands on the north of the Tuileries Gardens. To the south of the gardens is an almost identical building that was built as an orangery that now houses a set of Monet's waterlily paintings in unique circular galleries. Don't forget to cross the river here too, the Musee d'Orsay is on the other side of the Seine and holds probably the best collection of French modern art in the world. Lastly is the Foundation Henri Cartier-Bresson, in the south of the city. Before heading over there check it's both open and that there is a show on that you want to see, it can be quite limited in focus although there should always be a small selection of Cartier-Bresson's work on display.

The Louvre
Everyone said to me before I went to Paris 'you must see the Louvre - it's incredible'. They were right; there is something quite remarkable about the museum that every person interested in art should see if they find themselves in Paris. It is sprawling and sometimes confusing, and the labels rarely tell you anything about the object (that's if you can speak French because nothing is multilingual) but it's worth persevering with to see a way of curating that is quite different from ours here in the UK and some spectacular objects.

Following the highlights provided on the official map is a good way to see some of the great works in the collection but let yourself follow your instinct as well. The sculpture that is in and around Marly court in Richelieu wing are worth your time as well as the excavation of the Medieval tower and moat under Sully wing - both easily overlooked in favour of the more famous parts of the gallery.

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1st Published 01/06/2015
last update 21/07/2022 08:46:25

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