Many dreamed of it, a tea in the gardens of the Petit Palais, or a trip to the Catacombs. Or, for cocoon aficionados, a stroll in the workshop-museum of the sculptor Bourdelle with its benches facing the trees and works, or the arbor in the courtyard of the Museum of Romantic Life.
We would like to wander and not necessarily plan. For phobics of online booking, or those who are not used to it or do not have a printer at home, good news. The permanent collections of the museums of the City of Paris remain accessible free of charge and without reservation: in these times, it is a luxury.
Yes, we can still decide at the last moment, or passing nearby, to go see the Courbet du Petit Palais or the oriental masterpieces of Cernuschi. On the other hand, but you can't have everything in deconfinement time, to visit an exhibition, wherever you go, you will need to have reserved your ticket, its day and its time, even if there may be cases open , but without guarantee.
A lesser evil when the rumor peddled, at the height of the epidemic of Covid-19, that the museums would not reopen before the return to school in September. Another good news: the tourists are not there, which is a shame for our GDP, but allows us to rediscover museums almost as if it were your garden. That of Ile-de-France residents. We will probably never see them again as well as these weeks. With a mask, of course, but a much larger space for everyone than in the metro or on the cafe terraces, already taken by storm. Small committee, great pleasure in museums. Here in addition to the Petit Palais, the seven other museums (including six of the City of Paris) which reopen this Tuesday in the capital.
Go green at Bourdelle
He is a bit like the little brother of the Rodin museum. Bourdelle, a lesser-known sculptor, also left a house-museum in Paris, well hidden behind buildings in the 15th arrondissement. A delight with its glass roofs, its long garden, its hidden corners and its exhibition Niels Hansen Jacobsen (1861-1941), a great Danish sculptor who shaped the heroines of Andersen, "the Little Mermaid" and "the Queen des neiges ”, but also trolls, Scandinavian monsters and fantastic characters, as well as gargoyles like the Parisian sculptors he frequented in the capital. The exhibition was supposed to close on May 31, but it was extended until July 26, a small miracle because many works come from Denmark.
"The strange tales of NH Jacobsen" , Bourdelle museum (Paris XV), only by reservation, Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 6 pm. Rates: 7 to 10 euros, the rest of the spaces free. Information on the site.
Heart trump at the Museum of Romantic Life
A gate to a mansion in the 9th arrondissement, looking like a country house, on the first slopes that lead to Pigalle and the Sacré-Coeur. An arbor and a tea room, open only outside like the restaurants and cafes currently, a paved courtyard, and small rooms. To stroll, no need to book. But to visit the exhibition “Hearts. Romanticism in contemporary art ”, yes. And we really need love. The expo opened on Valentine's Day, then closed that of containment. It was extended until September 13. The place is not big: ban on strollers, bikes and scooters. The visitor's charter is not necessarily romantic, but this place makes you breathe, breathe.
Newsletter - The essentials of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
"Hearts" at the Museum of Romantic Life (Paris IX), Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 6 pm. Prices: 4 to 6 euros, some free spaces. Information.
Confinement for History at the Liberation Museum
Our best memory of the Paris Liberation Museum is the underground headquarters of Colonel Rol Tanguy, in its own juice. His wife Cécile, herself very resistant, and who worked a lot, with their daughter, for the rebirth of this museum on the very site of events, has just disappeared at 101 years, just before deconfinement. So yes, a visit would be a very nice tribute. Not forced to go underground. The exhibition on "The Exodus", with poignant photos and documents, is held in hypermodern spaces in natural light. A meeting with history.
"The Parisians in the Exodus in 1940" , until July 31, at the Museum of the Liberation of Paris - General Leclerc Museum (Paris XIV), reservation required, Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 6 pm. Prices: 4 to 6 euros. Information here.
Among the Amazon Indians at the Cartier Foundation
It is one of the most beautiful exhibitions of the year. Brazilian photographer Claudia Andujar has accompanied the Yanomami Indians in their struggle to preserve their autonomy and freedom in the heart of the Amazon forest since the 1970s. Accepted by them, she captured images of intimacy, a child bathing in the river, or shamanic rituals, as well as other more political images. Online booking is now compulsory. A rather flexible visitor charter has been established: you can book four tickets per person, and stay two hours in the exhibition, which is already a lot, the time to watch the film devoted to the artist, fascinating.
"Claudia Andujar, the Yanomami Fight" , until September 13, from 11 am to 8 pm (10 pm on Tuesday). Prices: 5 to 12 euros, closed Monday. Information here.
The Catacombs without the crowd
Usually the queue is overwhelming at all times. It should be better with a compulsory reservation, many people still telecommuting and the absence of tourists. And then, do we want to confine ourselves in the bowels of Paris? Certainly, given the timeless success of the largest ossuary in the world.
The Catacombs of Paris (Paris XIV), Tuesday to Sunday 9:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Prices: 22 to 24 euros. Information here.
The Orient at the Cernuschi Museum
This charming museum of Asian arts near the Parc Monceau had just got a makeover after works and new hanging of its rich oriental collections and its giant Buddha. After confinement, a second chance to rediscover this little-known little treasure, which then allows a stroll in the park.
Cernuschi Museum (Paris VIII), Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Prices: 7 to 9 euros. Information here.
Balzac at home
The Balzac museum can only be visited by reservation. His house on the hillsides of Passy is the only one of his Parisian houses still standing, where he corrected "The Human Comedy" from 1840 to 1847. The Spanish artist Eduardo Arroyo pays tribute to the world of the writer in an exhibition which was extended until August 16.
Maison de Balzac (Paris XVI), Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Prices: 6 to 8 euros. Information here.