Arc de Triomphe : new permanent exhibition

Two centuries after the first stone was laid, a new, modern interactive exhibition tells the fascinating story of this great national monument.

The great moments of French history can now be seen on interactive touch screens. The exhibition traces the construction of the Arc de Triomphe and other famous triumphal arches throughout the world. It highlights the architecture of the monument and explains the friezes and sculptures adorning the columns.


 
Méliès, magician of the cinema

Focus on a collection of the French Cinémathèque– Cinema Museum
 
Georges Méliès' contribution to the seventh art is a vital one. At one and the same time author, actor, decorator, producer, director, Georges Méliès is regarded as an all-round artist, and indeed the true pioneer of the cinematographic spectacle.

A magician by training, Méliès remains famous as the inventor of special cinema effects, prefiguring the likes of Georges Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Tim Burton.

The Cinémathèque houses the biggest collection in the world dedicated to Méliès, and invites visitors to its permanent collections to (re)discover the astonishing world of this magician of the cinema.

 
Re-opening : Donjon du Château de Vincennes

The dungeon of the château de Vincennes is the last surviving example of a medieval royal residence. It was completed by Charles V in 1365, and standing 50 metres high dominates the South East of Paris.

It has been magnificently restored and is open to the public again after 12 years.

The new visitors’ circuit brings out the originality of the architecture, the rich sculptural detail as desired by Charles V as well as celebrating the memory of the famous prisoners held there such as the Marquis de Sade.

 
New Museum: Musée du quai Branly

Opened in June 2006, the new Quai Branly museum is now accessible with the PARIS MUSEUM PASS.

This museum endeavours to give a full appreciation of the Arts and Civilizations of Africa, Asia, the South Pacific and The Americas to the public while bridging their mutual cultural influences.

Located on the edge of the River Seine and virtually at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, the Museum wishes to establish a cultural and scientific dialogue between the public, the researchers, students or with even the contemporary artists.

 
New Show: Centre Pompidou - Musée national d'Art moderne

Since February 2007, the new show of Modern collections ((1906-1960) offers a chronological itinerary of the artworks where monographic series are favoured.

Thus, spaces are entirely dedicated to works by Kandinsky, Arp, Picasso, Giacometi or Matisse…, underlining a specific period of their lives, but also to photographic works by Man Ray, Brassaï… or to architecture and design works by Chareau and Prouvé.

These compact art shows, each alternating with others, are designed mainly around one idea, namely the artist’s personality (Breton or Jean Paulhan’s works), a famous art publication (Cahiers d’art or Documents), a gallery (Maeght, Jean Fournier), a movement (Bauhaus), or an event (The 1937 Exhibition).

 
Re-opening : Musée national de l'Orangerie

Following important alterations and renovation works, the Orangerie National Museum re-opened to the public on May 17th 2006.

This museum now offers the public a new scenography articulated around two major transformations:

Claude Monet’s “Water lilies” painting has redeemed its initial location at the centre of the building, location that it had occupied from 1927, in the natural light of the atrium,  to which it was deprived in the 60’s.

The Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume collection, another of the museum’s treasures is presented in an entirely new space 1,000 sq.m, and located in the basement. This new scenography offers the visitors a better chance to understand the historical identity and the aesthetical originality of this exceptional collection of 144 artworks by illustrious names such as Renoir, Cézanne, le Douanier Rousseau, Matisse, Picasso, Derain, Modigliani, Soutine, Marie Laurencin, Utrillo, etc.