Paris Museums

The Art Museum's of Paris:

The Louvre,

The Pompidou Center and

The Picasso Museum

Journal Entry 5: May 17th, 2002 " May 17th consisted of a range of museums both traditional and modern. In the morning, I visited the Louvre with a group and made it to the main attraction, the Mona Lisa. I was thoroughly impressed by the Monet, Degas and the array of French paintings and sculptures, but I found the atmosphere less intriguing than I had hoped. The building was rather warm, and so I spent a bit of time in the Egyptian Art Section, which was cooler than the rest of the museum. For the rest of my time on May 17th, I spent visiting the Pompidou Center, which is the main modern museum of art in Paris. The walk there was beautiful and calming and I enjoyed the entire experience independently. I walked up an Alley Street which began as St. Martin (off Rovoli), which I walked to from the Louvre. The street was filled with little shops, and I found a jazz music store and bought an Ellington CD. Once I got to the Pompidou center, they were, unfortunately, in the middle of a security check, so there was an extremely long wait to get in. Once I got into the Museum though, it was what a "day in Paris" felt like it should be.

I did not spend as much time as I had originally thought I would in the Louvre (above left and right), but I did see everything I had hoped to, unfortunately most of my photographs did not come out. The above two of the outside interior facade of the building show what the courtyard looks like, which is clearly an impressive building artistically. The interior was overwhelming, but remarkable, despite the temperature.

I went by myself to the Pompidou Center, which I found was the best way for me to walk around a museum, especially a modern one. I enjoy looking and admiring the art at my own pace and without the commentary of others, at least once through. The Pompidou center was everything I would look for in a museum. They were a range of art forms, including everything that would normally catch my eye to works that I had always wanted to see. There were installations, architectural structures & blueprints, as well as furniture, photographs, paintings and abstract media. The Center itself is a work of art, with its colorful structural pipes and glass facade; the art is encased in an inviting and elaborately designed piece of architecture. The 4th and 5th floors of the center house the Modern Museum of art and I was amazed at the amount of art that the two floors contained. Laid out as two long hallways on top of each other, each approximately 12-foot wide, they held galleries on either side, which were often wider than the hall itself. The first floor contained a variety of installation arts, architectural models including all the models and blueprints for the Center itself. There were about two-three rooms filled with furniture, including tables, space efficient chairs and office set-ups, as well as diner-like booths in mono-color bright orange! There were some sculptures on the first floor, but there were more on the second, in the permanent collection.

The second floor was a wonder of well-know artists: paintings and sculptures. I was amazed at the amount and the particular pieces that the museum had obtained. Some of the most famous and recognizable works by Pollock, Matisse, Modigliani, Brancusi, Rulpka and Soutine were displayed throughout the galleries. All of these painters are artists I admire immensely.

Giacomettti is one of my favorite sculptors and seeing his art displayed up close was very exciting. Later in the trip I saw many more of his sculptures in the Tate in London.	This sculpture reminded me of work my mother used to do during her years as a sculptor. It was complemented so nicely by the print behind it .
Above is the view from the second floor of the back of the Pompidou center, which was covered in sculptures and surrounded by moving water.	This orange kitchen bench and and table was on the bottom floor of the Pompidou center and it reminded me of a diner style booth. The bright orange was bold and bright and the light at the center back of the booth only emphasized the color.

	To the above left is a sculpture from the bottom floor of the Pompidou Center which included a chair and a rather large desk lamp The painting directly above was hung in the hall of the bottom floor of the museum and was oil paint on canvas. I was stopped by the movement and intensity of the painting. To the left was a painting which I found with more excitement on the second floor of the Pompidou. This painting was done by Jackson Pollock early on in his career. Pollock became more famous during the later years of his career, but I have always been found of the work he did before his big recognition years. The use of oil paint, from tubes, sticks and with brushes creates a unique texture and images that never stop moving. I saw more of Pollock's work in the Tate in London, and some of his wife's, Lee Krasner, painting as well, which I talk more about on my London Museum page.

"Entry 4: May 16th, 2002: In the afternoon, I took a taxi and then walked to the Picasso Museum. I think the Musee' de Picasso is probably the only major attraction, where there was not an easily accessible metro station. Nevertheless I was very impressed by the museum and found it to be well worth the walk. I enjoyed getting to see part of the Northern neighborhoods and shops of Paris, out of the major tourist vaccinate, and it was also nice to do something on my own, and just take in Paris individually without any specific direction. Dinner followed the museum, at a lovely Parisian Brasserie and a restful evening."





	The Picasso Museum was delightful. Going to see the artwork of one man and seeing an array of his art was like getting a private look into the lifetime of art that he created. Seeing the art of one person, whom I admire and continues to intrigue me, was rewarding. Being able to look at his artwork without the interruption of other artists or points of view, I felt like I have gained a new understanding of his perspective of the world. From the paintings to the sculpture, both inside and out, the museum impressed me all around. I am still baffled by the history which Europe is able to express in its Museums. To have the pride and greatness for one artist to devote an entire museum to, shows a confidence in country and in the arts. For Paris to have a museum devoted to Picasso is sincere and impressive considering he is not even French.