Famous Museums in Paris

In Paris, museums most often mean art. And so it follows that famous museums in Paris are of that type. The major ones are so large that it would take many hours and cause much aching of feet to see all they have on display. If you're an art lover, though, this scenario sounds like serious fun--enough to make that flight over the Atlantic worth it.

The Louvre

The Louvre Museum began as a fortification in the 12th century and grew into a palace that ultimately was the grand home of King Louis XIV. Its beginnings as a museum can be traced to 1793, when the Museum Central des Arts opened in a part of the palace. By 1882, it had been entirely transformed into the Louvre as we know it. This greatest of art museums owns a collection of 35,000 works, with paintings dating from the 12th century to the present, covering all European schools and sculpture from antiquity to the mid-19th century. Its most iconic works include "Winged Victory," "Venus de Milo" and da Vinci's "Mona Lisa." Adjacent to the Louvre are the historic Tuileries Gardens, which are heavily planted seasonally with bulbs and perennials and include ponds and specially shaped trees. Louvre Museum 75001 Paris, France +33-1-40-20-57-60 louvre.fr

Musee d'Orsay

The founding of the Musee d'Orsay in the former Gare d'Orsay saved a beaux arts landmark and collected important art in one place all at once. The old Orsay train station, designated a historical landmark, was built across the Seine from the Tuileries Gardens for the 1900 Paris World's Fair in anticipation of increased train traffic. By the latter part of the 20th century, it was no longer being used as a station. In 1986, it opened its doors reborn as the Musee d'Orsay. Its trademark beaux arts clock still hangs over all. The museum contains art made from 1848 to 1914, which covers the pre-impressionism years, impressionism and post-impressionism periods, leading up to modern. For lovers of Manet, Monet, Renoir, Pissaro, Cezanne, van Gogh and Degas, the museum is paradise on earth. Room after room is filled with works by these and other important artists of the period, part of one of the world's largest collections of impressionism. Musee d'Orsay 62, rue de Lille 75343 Paris Cedex 07 France +33-1-40-49-48-14 musee-orsay.fr

Pompidou Center/National Museum of Modern Art

Since 1977, the Pompidou Center has housed France's National Museum of Modern Art. Works at the Pompidou date from the beginning of the 20th century and run up to the present. Its seven levels of glass and steel form an appropriate backdrop with a modern sensibility. Cubism, abstract art, Dada, surrealism, post-World War II and the 1960s find a place among the 60,000 works at the Pompidou, as do such modern art giants as Picasso, Kandinsky, Klee, Pollock, Mondrian, Leger and Le Corbusier, among many others. The Pompidou also devotes significant space to special exhibitions. Pompidou Center Place Georges Pompidou 75004 Paris, France +33-1-44-78-12-33 centrepompidou.fr