Museums & Art Galleries

Musée d'Orsay

The Orsay Railway Station, built by architect Victor Laloux, was inaugurated on 14th July 1900 for the universal exhibition and was only used as a station until 1939. It was inaugurated as a museum on 1st December 1986 after the interior was redesigned by Gae Aulenti. Paintings, sculptures, furniture, photography and documentary objects are on display.

Musée du Louvre

It is arguably the biggest museum in the world. It was constructed around 1200 as a fortress and rebuilt in the mid-16th century as a royal palace. It was established as a museum in 1793, and is one of the oldest museums in Europe. Its collections represents western art from the Middle Ages to the 19th century and include Oriental, Egyptian, Etruscan, Islamic and Roman antiquities. Approximately 6 million tourists visited the museum in 2003. Louvre's most popular piece is Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa."

Musée Picasso

This museum has a collection of several thousand works of the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso. These works include paintings, sculptures, drawings, ceramics and engravings. The museum also has some works of Cézanne and Matisse.

La Cite des Sciences et de l'Industrie

Located in the Parc de la Villette complex, the Cite is a masterpiece of modern architecture. It is one of the world's largest science museums and presents a wide range of technology including communication, the environment, health, astronomy and computers. The museum conducts exhibitions, shows, models, lectures and interactive games. It has a Planetarium, a Mediterranean aquarium, omni max movie theater, simulators and multimedia library among other forms of entertainment and learning.

Musée Rodin

The Rodin museum was formerly the Hotel Biron. It was where Rodin lived for 9 years before he died in 1917. The ground floor was used as his studio and above it was where he lived. The museum contains a collection of his works including bronze and marble sculptures along with his personal belongings. On display are casts of some of Rodin's most celebrated works, The Kiss, The Hand of God, The Burghers of Calais, Cathedral and The Thinker. Outside in the garden are some of his sculptures including the "Burghers of Calais" and "The Gates of Hell".

Back to the Top