Normandy, Brittany & the Best of the North_ With Paris (Fodor's) - Fodor's [111]
Some other highlights of the painting collection are Jan van Eyck’s magnificent The Madonna and Chancellor Rolin, painted in the early 15th century; The Lacemaker, by Jan Vermeer (1632–75); The Embarkation for Cythera, by Antoine Watteau (1684–1721); The Oath of the Horatii, by Jacques-Louis David (1748–1825); The Raft of the Medusa, by Théodore Géricault (1791–1824); and La Grande Odalisque, by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780–1867). But the Louvre is packed with other legendary collections, which are divided into eight curatorial departments: Near Eastern Antiquities; Egyptian Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculptures; Decorative Arts; Paintings; and Prints and Drawings.
As for famed sculpture, atop the marble Escalier Daru perches the Nike, or Winged Victory of Samothrace, which seems poised for flight over the stairs (remember Audrey Hepburn’s take in Funny Face?). Other hightlights include Michelangelo’s two Slaves, intended for the tomb of Pope Julius II. These can be admired in the Denon Wing, where a medieval and Renaissance sculpture section is housed partly in the former imperial stables. Perhaps the most photogenic is the legendary Venus de Milo, housed in Salle (Room) 12 of the Richelieu Wing, which once housed the Ministry of Finance. The lush salons here (around Salle 87) are just the ticket if you’re a fan of the Napoléon III style—the apotheosis of 19th-century, red-and-gilt opulence.
To get into the Louvre, you may have to wait in two long lines: one outside the Pyramide entrance portal and another downstairs at the ticket booths. You can avoid the first by entering through the Carrousel du Louvre and buying a ticket at the machines. Your ticket (be sure to hold on to it) will get you into any and all of the wings as many times as you like during one day—and once you have your ticket you can skip the entry line. Once inside, you should stop by the information desk to pick up a free color-coded map and check which rooms are closed for the day. (Closures rotate through the week, so you can come back if something is temporarily unavailable.) Beyond this, you’ll have all you need—shops, a post office, and places to eat. Café Marly may have an enviable location facing into the Cour Napoléon, but its food is decidedly lackluster. For a more soigné lunch, keep your appetite in check until you get to the museum’s stylish Café Richelieu, or head outside the palace walls. There’s also a full calendar of lectures, films, concerts, and special exhibits; some are part of the excellent lunch-hour series called Les Midis du Louvre. Most are not included in the basic ticket price—pick up a three-month schedule at the information desk or check online for information. Remember that the Louvre is closed on Tuesday. | Palais du Louvre, Louvre/Tuileries | 75001 | 01–40–20–53–17 information | www.louvre.fr | €9.50, €6 after 6 PM Wed. and Fri., free 1st Sun. of month; €11 for Napoléon Hall exhibitions | Mon., Thurs., and weekends 9–6, Wed. and Fri. 9 AM–10 PM | Station: Palais-Royal.
Musée de l’Orangerie.
People line up for hours for a glimpse of Claude Monet’s huge, meditative Water Lilies (Nymphéas), displayed in galleries designed in 1914 by the master himself. The museum, once a winter greenhouse for the Tuileries’ citrus trees, was renovated in 2006. The small, excellent collection includes early-20th-century paintings by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, and Modigliani, among others. | Jardin des Tuileries at Pl. de la Concorde, | 75001Louvre/Tuileries | 01–44–77–80–07 | www.musee-orangerie.fr | €7.50, €13.50 for same-day entry to Musée d’Orsay | Wed.–Mon., 9–6 | Station: Concorde.
Musée du Jeu de Paume.
This 19th-century building at the entrance to the Jardin des Tuileries, on the Rue de Rivoli side, was once used for jeu de paume (or “palm game,” a forerunner of tennis). It later served as a transfer point for art looted by the Germans in World War II. Today it’s been given another lease