| Sure, you know about the Louvre and the | | | | 20th century ballroom from the Hotel de Wendel. |
| Impressionists at the Musee d'Orsay, but are you | | | | Other of the 140 rooms are devoted to such |
| familiar with the Marmatton? Or Paris' Cluny | | | | things as prehistoric artifacts from the Parisii tribe |
| Museum on the Left Bank? In addition to the | | | | who once inhabited the Ile de la Cite, souvenirs |
| famous "first tier" museums, the city of light | | | | from the Revolution, antique maps and important |
| offers scores of fascinating and less crowded | | | | paintings, as well as the furniture from the room |
| smaller museums. Whether this your second (or | | | | where Marcel Proust wrote his lengthy "A |
| third or fourth) trip to Paris, or if you just want | | | | Recherche du Temps Perdu." There is also a |
| to try something a little different, consider visiting | | | | spectacular ceiling painted by the French muralist |
| one of these exciting lesser-known Paris | | | | Le Brun. The gardens, too, are spectacular, and |
| museums. | | | | are a pleasant oasis in the middle of the bustling |
| Marmatton | | | | city. |
| Located west of downtown Paris, in the stylish | | | | The Paris Fashion Museum |
| and affluent 16th arrondissement, lies the | | | | Brigitte Bardot's Dior wedding dress, a classic |
| Marmatton Museum, a small gem of a museum, | | | | 1930s Chanel wool suit, and a robe worn by stage |
| filled with the works of Impressionist painter | | | | legend, Sarah Bernhardt: These are just some of |
| Claude Monet and his talented friends. Named for | | | | the treasures to be found at Paris' Musee du |
| the owner of the spacious 19th-century town | | | | Mode et du Costume. Located in a 19th-century |
| house that houses the museum, the Marmatton's | | | | Renaissance-style town house, this three-story |
| collection is centered on a group of 65 Monet | | | | museum's collection includes more than 100,000 |
| paintings bequeathed to it by the painter's son | | | | outfits, dating from the 18th century to the |
| Michel in 1965. This core grouping includes | | | | present. Such fashionable women as Princess |
| "Impression Sunrise," the painting that gave a | | | | Grace of Monaco, the Duchess of Windsor, and |
| name to the entire art movement, as well as one | | | | Baronne Helene de Rothschild have contributed to |
| of Monet's series of Rouen Cathedral studies. | | | | the museum as have renowned designers |
| The highlight of the collection, however, is the | | | | including Balmain, Givenchy and Balenciaga. |
| large number of water lily paintings of Monet's | | | | Because clothing is so delicate, and because the |
| garden at Giverny, done late in Monet's life, | | | | collection is so vast, the displays are rotated |
| mostly from memory as he had lost most of his | | | | several times a year, usually arranged to focus on |
| eyesight. These massive canvasses are displayed | | | | one time period or one designer's work. That |
| in a round gallery, where they virtually envelop | | | | means you're sure to see something new, even if |
| the viewer. The Marmatton also contains a | | | | you have visited here before. (Take the metro to |
| number of paintings from Monet's personal art | | | | the Iena or Alma stations.) |
| collection, including works by Pissarro, Renoir and | | | | The Cluny Museum |
| Sisley. The walk through the park from the | | | | Set amidst the 19th and 20th century attractions |
| Muette metro stop to the museum is a lovely | | | | of the Left Bank are ruins of the old Gallo-Roman |
| throwback to the 19th century and helps to set | | | | baths from the Roman city of Lutece. These |
| the scene for a museum visit. | | | | artifacts are part of the structure that makes up |
| Le Carnavalet | | | | the Cluny Museum, officially the Musee National du |
| Paris' Musee Carnavalet, dedicated to the history | | | | Moyen Age (middle Ages). |
| of Paris, is housed in a unique Parisian 16th-century | | | | This peaceful spot houses the elegant 15th |
| mansion. The luxury town house, with a typical | | | | century "Lady with a Unicorn" tapestries, |
| French center courtyard, was once home to | | | | wonderfully displayed in a round gallery space. The |
| Madame de Sevigny, noted for her detailed letters | | | | Cluny also boasts the "Gallery of the Kings," a |
| to her daughter (more than 1500 of them) that | | | | collection of 21 of the original 28 stone heads of |
| tell of Parisian life in the late 17th century. The | | | | the Kings of Judah, carved in the 13th century |
| museum is located in the trendy Marais | | | | and found during excavations in 1977 near the |
| neighborhood, just steps away from the Place | | | | Place de l'Opera. Together with hand-lettered |
| des Vosges. | | | | manuscripts, gold artifacts, and other stone |
| Rarely crowded, the Musee Carnavalet is an | | | | carvings, they form the world's finest collection of |
| intriguing mixture of old and new. Entire rooms | | | | Medieval art. |
| have been recreated within the museum, such as | | | | Periodic medieval poetry readings and concerts |
| an 18th century Louis XIV-style salon, complete | | | | held at the museum are a special treat. (Take the |
| with gold-leaf paneling, and the Art Deco early | | | | Metro to Cluny, St-Michel, or Odeon. |