Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris (Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris)

Where in Paris can you view masterpieces of twentieth century art displayed in an Art Deco landmark offering the best view of the Eiffel Tower in the whole city and do it all for free?  At the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris (Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris) in the Palais de Tokyo where approximately 500 municipally owned paintings, sculptures and works of decorative art and furniture allow visitors to survey all of the major Modernist art movements from Fauvism and Cubism to Abstraction and Surrealism to Expressionism and New Realism and there is no charge.

Established in 1937, the collection is organized chronologically with select galleries dedicated to individual artists like Matisse and Dufy most representative of the more than 5,000 works in the holdings. The display also retraces the key moments in the history of 20^th century French decorative arts with rooms dedicated to superlative Art Deco and Modernist furniture and objects by masters of design such as by Pierre Chareau, André Arbus and Jacques Emile Ruhlmann.

The most prominent holding among many masterpieces is Matisse’s celebrated triptych “La Danse de Paris” (1931-1933), monumental decoupage panels originally commissioned for the Barnes Foundation in Merion, PA. Look for “Nude in the Bath” by Bonnard, “The Cardiff Team” by R. Delaunay, “The River” by Derain, “Discs” by Léger, “The Blue Bird” by Metzinger, “The Lovers” by Picabia and the four “Artists’ Portraits” by Vuillard, standout achievements in the careers of each artist respectively.

Behold extravagant, oversize murals by Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Albert Gleizes, Jacques Villon and Raoul Dufy whose 30-foot high by 200-foot long tour de force “The Electric Fairy (La Fée Électricité)” is one of his defining accomplishments.  New acquisitions of some of the great artists of the late 20^th century have continued to expand the collection including outstanding examples by Gerhard Richter, Bridget Riley and Christopher Wool while two important pieces, “Marcel” by Pierre Ardouvin and “The Cursed Part” by Cerith Wyn Evans represent the early 21^st century.

Bring your camera because behind the museum a sweeping terrace over tiered fountains descending to the Seine directly opposite the Eiffel Tower provides the most picture perfect perch to capture you with the Parisian icon.  While entry to the permanent collection and terrace is free, the museum also regularly presents outstanding temporary exhibitions for which a paid admission is required.

 

Official Museum Site