Did you know that in addition to being the home of the Louvre
Museum, the Palais du Louvre (Louvre Palace) is also the location of the lesser-known
Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Decorative Arts Museum)?
Although completely separate from the Louvre Museum, the Musée
des Arts Décoratifs fills the western end of the Richelieu wing of the Palace. With two entrances, one at 107 rue de Rivoli and
the other on the Jardin des Tuileries side, it’s easy to find once you know it
exists.
Considering the magnitude and space that the Louvre
collection takes up, it is easy to assume that this second museum must be small
in scope and size. But the Musée des Arts Décoratifs is a full-fledged museum in its own right, with nine floors of diverse collections of art
that merit hours of viewing.
This busy museum currently boasts six temporary exhibits,
with the main attraction being a breathtaking collection of Van Cleef &
Arpels jewelry. Creating the illusion of a nighttime sky
filled with sparkling diamond-like stars, the beautiful Nave of the museum
elegantly displays 400 iconic pieces of jewelry, such as the Duchess of Wales inspired
Zip necklace or the Mysterious Phoenix necklace with its 14.36 carat dangling diamond.
Blue light glowing from below and jewelry
mysteriously floating in illuminated floor to ceiling glass tubes give you an otherworldly
feel. This magical presentation alone is worth seeing.
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| Trompe-l'oeil Cabinet |
The Fashion and Textile exhibit showcases 100 European outfits
and their accessories for men and women from 1700 to 1915. Although many of us have seen these types of historical
outfits in movies such as Jane Austen’s film adaptations, this is a rare chance
to see them close enough to appreciate all of the intricate details, designs and
textures of the fabric.
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| Lit en Nacelle - 1827 |
If you are visiting the Musée des Arts Décoratifs with kids
who are less than impressed by 18th century hoop skirts, or Princess Charlene
of Monaco’s wedding tiara, reenergize their enthusiasm with the Star Wars Toys
exhibit. With Darth Vader breathing in the background, you
can see all of the original Star Wars action figures and toys, many of them
still in their original packaging. What a
blast from the past, seeing Atari 2600 video games, and 1980 tv commercials! Not
only is this exhibit great for kids, but for those of you who grew up in the ‘70s
and ‘80s, you’ll be walking around smiling as these old toys bring back tons of
childhood memories.
So if you’ve already seen most of the big name museums, next
time check out the Musée
des Arts Décoratifs.
Prefer guided tours? Then join us
on some of WICE’s upcoming visits to:
If you have some lesser-known museums in Paris that you'd like to recommend, let us know in the comments!
Photos and Post by Veronica Kugler