Paris

Museum Tours

• The Louvre

  The Louvre is the world’s largest and most visited art museum, and a historic monument. Nearly 35,000 objects from Antiquity to the 19th century are exhibited in this former fortress built in the late 12th century. It is closed on Tuesdays.

  The Three «Grandes Dames», Masterpieces of the Louvre: For a first visit to the Louvre, this tour is an opportunity to discover the great masterpieces of the museum such as Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, which are three of its most celebrated figures.

  Kings and Emperors of the Louvre: This tour is an opportunity to discover the history of the Museum originally built as a fortress and transformed into a Palace for French Kings and Emperors, and to meet great French Kings such as Louis XIV, the Sun King, and Emperor Napoleon.

  Feast at the Louvre: What better place than France, the country of gastronomy, to explore the art of fine eating exploring the permanent collections and learning more about the symbolic of meals (funerary, mythological, religious or simply everyday day meals) and their representation from Antiquity to the 18th century, ending with the opulence of an Imperial Dinner under the Second Empire of Napoleon III.

  Luxury at the Louvre: Explore the opulence of decorative arts and the art of French living “art de vivre à la française”, in the latest department of decorative arts opened to the public in June 2014 with objects and period rooms spanning from Louis XIV 17th century to the French Revolution of 1789. Journey through great craftsmanship and luxury ending with the glittering world of the Second Empire: magnificent paintings, jewels and throne in the Emperor and Empress Napoleon III rooms.

  *New* Petite Galerie: a dedicated educational 240 sq. m. area particularly adapted to families with young children. «Power Plays» illustrates the connection between art and political power. From September 27, 2017 to July 2, 2018.

• The Musée d’Orsay 

  The Musée d’Orsay is housed in a former Beaux-Arts railway station built at the turn of the 20th century. The museum holds French paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography dating from 1848 to 1915, including the world’s largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces. The museum is closed on Mondays.

  A Journey Through the Main Movements of 19th Century Art: A survey of works by the Académie to Impressionism, through Realism, Historicism and Post-Impressionism.

  Shocking Paintings in Orsay: The Museum holds the famous painting of the Origin of the world by Courbet and houses many works that came as a rupture in History of Arts

  Feast at the Orsay: What better place than France, the country of gastronomy, to explore the art of fine eating exploring the permanent collections. This tour can be seen as a continuation from the Feast at the Louvre tour or on its own. At the Orsay, paintings, objects and period rooms illustrate the 19th century culinary revolution, change of meal times, «service à la française» inherited from royal meals is preferred to the «service à la russe», and the modern restaurant is invented. Luxury is democratized through companies such as Christofle, and the table is the setting of the human comedy.

  Picnics, Poppies, Ballerinas and Parties: The Impressionists features works by Manet, Monet, Degas and Renoir.

• The Musée de l’Orangerie 

  The Musée de l’Orangerie is located in the Tuileries Gardens next to the Place de la Concorde. It permanently houses eight large Water Lilies murals by Claude Monet and also contains works by Cézanne, Matisse, Modigliani, Picasso, Renoir, Rousseau, among others. The museum is closed on Tuesdays.

  The Wonderful World of Monet’s Water Lilies: Exploring Monet’s 30-year obsession with water and reflection in these eight large-scale water lily murals.

  20th Century Avant-Gardes of the Jean Walter-Paul Guillaume Collection: Paul Guillaume, a passionate art dealer, patiently gathered his modern art collection, that was transformed and reshaped after his death by his widow Domenica and her second husband Jean Walter.

• CentrE Pompidou – The National Museum of Modern Art 

  The National Museum of Modern Art is housed in the Centre Pompidou and has the second largest collection of modern and contemporary art in the world, after the MoMA in New York. It is closed on Tuesdays. 

  Meet the 20th Century avant-gardes, the reign of «ism»: Discover the modern art movements from 1905 to 1965 from Cubism to Surrealism via Fauvism featuring several iconic works.

• Musee d’art Moderne de la Ville de Paris

  This tour will cover the major artistic movements in 20th century European art. We will see the exciting and extensive permanent collections which trace the work of the leading artists and influential artistic movements in 20th Century Europe: Fauvism, Cubism, Ecole de Paris, Abstraction, New Realism and Conceptual work. Closed on Mondays.

  Led by Karine Friedberger, this tour is suitable for adults and can be customized for families with children aged 7 and up.

• Musée Picasso-Paris 

  Musée Picasso is located in the Hotel Salé in the heart of the Marais area and  includes more than 5,000 works and tens of thousands of archive pieces by the 20th Century master. Established in 1985, the museum has gone through extensive renovation from 2006 to 2014, that has enabled it to double the size of the exhibition spaces and showcase Picasso’s personal collection of his friends’ work (Braque, Matisse, Miro, Derain…),  masters he admired (Cézanne, Le Douanier, Rousseau, Degas…) and primitive arts. The permanent collection is regularly given renewed presentation through temporary exhibitions. Closed on Mondays.

• More Museums

  In the heart of Paris, in the close vicinity of the Louvre, these exhibitions can further enhance your understanding of art, and can also be designed with young children and families in mind.

  Paris in the Dark Ages

  Ile de la Cité is home to Notre Dame Cathedral, Sainte Chapelle and Conciergerie, a few gems from Paris’ medieval times.

  Palais Garnier

  Stage of French budding ballerinas also known as “les petits rats”. The Opera House is a fantastic example of 19th century architecture under the Haussman renovation of Paris. It is known to house Chagall’s bespoke ceiling decoration.

  Musée Rodin

  This recently renovated Hôtel Particulier houses the collection of great 19th century sculptor Auguste Rodin. Closed on Mondays.

  Musée Marmottan

  Guardian of Monet’s Impression Sunrise, the painting after which was named the Impressionist movement, and of the largest Monet collection in the world. The museum specializes in Impressionist art. It is an architectural gem, a  former hunting lodge located in the 16th Arrondissement in Paris’ west side. Closed on Mondays.

Gallery Tours

•  Paris Montmartre

  Follow in the tracks of the many artists who lived and worked in Montmartre in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The foundations of modern art were laid by these artists (Picasso, Van Gogh, Utrillo, Modigliano, Toulouse Lautrec, Renoir among many others). In Montmartre they found inspiration in the subject matter, in the exchange of ideas in cabarets and cafés which are still standing here, and in the fertile and exciting atmosphere in Paris in this period while they worked together sometimes in shared studios – the breeding ground for modern 20th century art. This is a walking tour, part of which is uphill, and lasts approximately 2 hours.

• Contemporary Fine Art Galleries in THE Marais

  This area on the Right Bank is one of the oldest and most historic districts in Paris. Nestled among the 16th century buildings and elegant squares, are some remarkable contemporary art galleries, both internationally renown and smaller French galleries. On this tour we will view current shows and explore the artistic themes.

• Mid Century Modern & Contemporary Design in the First Arrondissement

  Close to the Louvre and the Palais Royale, in the elegant First Arrondissement, are a small group of important and exquisite design galleries. On this tour, we will visit these galleries to view their current works and discuss the artists and their place in the history of design. We will also pass through the magnificent Palais Royale Gardens nearby and discuss the beautiful 17th century architecture.

• 20th Century & Contemporary Design Galleries in Saint-Germain-des-Pres

  Historic Saint Germain-des-Pres on the Left Bank is fascinating with its Medieval origins, as well as being rich in 20th century and contemporary design galleries which we will visit to view current shows and latest pieces.

• Tour of Les Puces, Antiques Market in Saint-Ouens – Adult and Family Tours

  Les Puces, the large and sprawling market in Saint-Ouens, on the outskirts of Paris, is an important part of Parisian heritage and history. The beauty of the place is its uniqueness and its very Gallic charm! Whether you’re looking for specific pieces of antique or contemporary furniture, lighting or decorative objects, or would just like to see what’s out there and explore for treasures, Les Puces is an unmissable Parisian experience for which we can tailor a tour to perfectly suit your wishes.

  Led by Susan Boullier, tours can be customized for adults only, or for families so that children aged 8 and up can get a taste for treasure-hunting!

Meet the ArtMuse Paris Team