Museums
The Louvre pyramid

Entry to the Louvre is through a striking glass pyramid. In the recent revamping the museum has been hollowed out underneath, to provide access to the galleries, and to reveal medieval fortress ruins. Parts of the building, including the Napoleon apartments, are lavishly decorated with gilded walls and painted ceilings. The collections are extensive - one day is not enough to see everything.
Napolean rooms in the Louvre
Napolean rooms in the Louvre
The Louvre fortress
Louvre sculpture galleries
The Rubens Room
Louvre middle east galleries
Louvre galleries

Above: The Louvre collections range from European paintings and sculpture, to Egyptian mummies and middle eastern ceramics and metal work. Most famous exhibits include the Mona Lisa, and the Venus de Milo.
Musée d'Orsay
Centre Georges-Pompidou
Musée d'Orsay furniture

Left and above: The Musée d’Orsay is in an old railway station and houses mostly French art from the mid 1800s through to early 1900s. This of course includes the Impressionist painters, of which there are many impressive examples (Renoire, Monet etc.). Another well known work is Whistler’s mother ”Arrangement in Grey and Black, No 1”. There is also a collection of art nouveau furniture.

Left: The Pompidou centre houses the contemporary art musem.

The Musée Picasso is well worth visiting, even if you have been to the Picasso museum in Barcelona and did not enjoy it. There are works from throughout the artist’s life, illustrating his many and varied styles.

Also worth a look, for the “Lady and the Unicorn” tapestries, is the Musée du Moyen Age, which is in the towering ruins of the Roman baths.

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