France: Paris

[This section is in the earliest stages of development: 10 September 2004]

[See bottom of this page for other France-related pages.]

Since my first trip overseas, to Paris in April 1970, I have visited the city many times. There is no end to what it has on offer: architecture, galleries and museums, cafes and restaurants. Most recently, I followed a delightful tour around Montmartre in homage to Amelie.

My favourite Parisian gallery, visited many times, is the Musée d'Orsay, based in the old Gare d'Orsay, on the rive gauche of the river Seine. It has an excellent collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, including work by Vincent Van Gogh, as well as Pierre Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet (notably the Rouen Cathedral and the Haystack sequences, a format so wonderfully elaborated upon from January to late April 1999 in the Monet exhibition at the Royal Academy, London, UK), Henri (Douannier) Rousseau (although Tiger, Tiger is at the National Gallery, London, UK) and Paul Gaugin. There is also a fine collection of decorative arts artefacts epitomising art nouveau, including work by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. On my most recent visit, I video recorded many of my favourite paintings. This was highly successful, and makes very attractive viewing.

On several occasions, I have visited the Musée du Louvre (set in an impressive series of galleries, including a huge glass pyramid, based in the Palais du Louvre, and most famously housing the Mona Lisa). Sadly, though amusingly in retrospect, we got locked in the Louvre just after Christmas 2003. Walking through unlit galleries at night, surrounded by walls of centuries-old paintings is a disturbing experience usually reserved for strange, uneasy dreams that result from having eaten four different types of curry. The Jeu de Paume, which used to focus on Impressionist paintings, displayed them poorly, in my opinion. The Centre Pompidou, an innovative and impressive building in its own right, houses an impressive modern art collection. The Musée Marmotttan focuses on the work of Claude Monet. I first visited this gallery long before I went to Giverny. Having allowed Giverny to alter the way I view Monet's work, I was keen to revisit the Musée Marmottan in December 2003. The collection lived up to expectations, although the attitude of the staff was so appalling they deserve to be sacked.

I have been up the Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower) many times, although never to the top. On one occasion, recently, as we were on our way back down to the ground, the elevator jammed for about 20 minutes. My daughter, Jemima, loves going up the tower. She strongly identifies the tower with Paris, and Paris with the tower, which is unsurprising as the British Sign Language hand-sign for Paris is the Eiffel Tower. I intend to replace the following library photographs with some of my own.

 

p.g.h@btinternet.com

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