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It’s not all about the Louvre or the d’Orsay, there are small places that stay out of the spotlight, and that will welcome you with open arms to visit them. You can also check out our private tours in Paris here!
This list of small museums in Paris will show you that by looking outside the traditional spotlight, you will find a number of museums that you will fall in love with. Palaces, artists’ studios, and even mansions where you can find Monet, Delacroix or Victor Hugo.
We know what a great museum is. As soon as we think of art in Paris, the first ones that come to mind are the Louvre, the Metropolitan, the Prado, the Hermitage, which are museums that cannot be missed on your first visit to the French capital, it is an unavoidable ritual. But there are other options that may catch your attention.
All of them are also unmanageable in a single visit (even if the opposite is pretended) and form an overcrowded tourist pole. In general, visitors just jump through hoops and wander around the galleries with little interest. The attentive ones, those who read the signs and stop for more than five seconds in front of a work, persist in their efforts for between one and two hours. The hour and a half marks a saturation point that is difficult to overcome.
In contrast to these great collections, there are places that remain out of the spotlight and out of the general gaze. They are museums that are sought after because those who visit them are looking for an atmosphere, a partial, defined, intimate vision of the city. It is not just a question of scale, but of attitude. They are sometimes off the tourist itinerary and, as they do not exhibit unmissable masterpieces in their rooms, the tour allows for a leisurely contemplation.
THE BOURGEOISIE AND ITS CHARM
The three museums house their collections in the residences that belonged to their founders: bankers and collectors who wished to preserve their heritage in the place where they themselves contemplated their works.
This condition was explicitly expressed in the bequest of the residence and collections of the Moïse de Camondo Museum of Decorative Arts to create a museum in memory of his son Nissim, who died in a plane crash in the First World War. Built in the early 20th century opposite the Parc Monceau, the building was inspired by the little Trianon at Versailles and displays objects, furniture and works of art with a central theme of 18th century France.
A banker of Sephardic origin, seeking confirmation of his French identity in his collection, arranged for not a single piece of furniture to be moved. Everything must remain as he left it when he died, so that the visitor has the impression that the building is still inhabited.
THE ARTIST FROM HIS HOME
Studios are often created at the express request of the artist or because of the fame that prompted his contemporaries to preserve his creative environment. Thus, the memory is linked to the place, not only to the artist’s work.
Behind the church that gives its name to the Saint-Germaine des Prés district, a few steps from the emblematic restaurant Les Deux Magots, stands the last house in which the 19th century painter Eugène Delacroix lived. The window of the former studio overlooks an unexpected garden and is worth a visit in itself. Inside you can see sketches, drawings, portraits of friends, photographs and a collection of objects from Morocco collected during the painter’s journey in 1832.
OWNERS OF HIS WORKS
A year before his death, Gustave Moreau donated the building in which he lived and his collection to the State, on the condition that its character would not be altered. Today, the Symbolist painter’s mansion houses more than 800 paintings and some of the private rooms have been restored during several renovations.
The walls remain faithful to the horror vacui that led the artist to cover every inch of his most symbolic works. The spiral staircase leading to the studio has become a Parisian icon.
Fans of 19th-century painting can visit the Henner Museum, near the Parc Monceau, which houses the painter’s collection in a building bought by his niece from another painter after Dubufe’s death. Although it lacks the intimacy of an inhabited house, its large rooms can transport you to a world long gone.
The Rodin Museum is no small museum, as it houses the genius of one of the most influential sculptors of his time. Although the artist rented rooms on the ground floor of the Hôtel de Biron, there is no sign of everyday use. The building, a unique example of an 18th century Parisian hotel, has preserved some of the artist’s representative works, such as The Gates of Hell, The Kiss and The Thinker, following the donation of the artist’s collection.
FOLLOWING THE MASTER
Antoine Bourdelle, Rodin’s pupil, followed in his master’s footsteps. After a long process, his descendants converted his house and studio near Montmartre into a museum. The scale of the works and the size of the studio give the space a great monumentality. It is currently under renovation. It is due to reopen in early 2023.
The Atelier Brancusi, now located opposite the Centre Pompidou, was conceived as an autonomous work by the artist, a pioneer of the 20th century avant-garde. He carefully studied the relationships between the works and, when he sold one, he put a copy in its place. He left all the content to the state. After several installations, Renzo Piano restored the space and protected the privacy of the garden behind it.
