Opened in 1961 as part of efforts to better accommodate the Petit Palais modern art collections, the Ville de Paris Museum of Modern Art is housed in a building created for the 1937 International Art and Technique Exhibition. It is part of the contemporary art exhibition space known as the Palace of Tokyo.
The permanent collection, free to the public, houses important works by artists such as Matisse, Bonnard, Derain and Vuillard, as well as large-format murals by Robert and Sonia Delaunay and others. Explore developments in contemporary arts from the early 20th century to the present day. Especially for visitors interested in avant-garde movements in contemporary art and creation, a trip here is recommended.
Location and contact information:
The museum is located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris (arrondissement), near the area known as Trocadero and right next to the sister museum of contemporary art Palais de Tokyo.
Dirección:
11 avenue du President Wilson
Metro / RER: Alma-Marceau o Iena; RER Pont de l’Alma (Línea C)
Phone: +33 (0) 1 53 67 40 00
Opening hours and tickets:
The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm The box office closes at 5:45 pm Closed on Mondays and French holidays.
On Thursdays they open until 10:00 pm (only exhibitions). Ticket counters close at 5:15 pm (9:15 pm on Thursdays.
Tickets: entry to the permanent collections and exhibits is free for all visitors. Entry prices vary for temporary themed exhibits – call ahead or check their website. Admission to temporary shows is free for visitors under 13 years of age.
Nearby attractions and places of interest:
The museum is close to some of the most popular attractions in western Paris, as well as quieter neighborhoods worth exploring. These include:
- Trocadero
- Palais de Tokyo (adjoining contemporary art museum)
- Passy and the 16th district
- Maison de Balzac
- Eiffel Tower
Highlights of the Permanent Exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art:
The permanent collection of the Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris is divided into chronological blocks that explore the development of various movements and trends in contemporary art, from 1901 to the present.
Historical tour”
This section includes important works from the Fauvist, Cubist, Post-Cubist, and Orphic movements in painting, with highlights from the artists Delauney and Léger. A wing dedicated to surrealism presents works by Picabia, while another dedicated to the “School of Paris” exhibits works with a more audacious figuration and lines.
Contemporary tour
Beginning in the 1960s, this newer wing of the museum reflects more recent acquisitions. The galleries trace New Realism, Fluxus or Narrative Figuration movements, as well as abstract art movements. Major works by names like Deschamps, Klein, Roth, Soulages, and Nemours punctuate the galleries, as well as works by more experimental but lesser-known artists who pushed the boundaries of form, color, and medium. The contemporary tour pays particular attention to how artists after the 1960s increasingly sought to break the boundaries between traditional media and play “subversively” with traditional codes and discourse.
Painting, video, sculpture, photography and other media are used in a non-traditional and surprising way in many of these works.
Basement
The basement level houses the Boltanski Gallery (with works by the eponymous artist); La Salle Noire features contemporary videos from artists such as Absalon, Pilar Albaraccin, Fikret Atay, Rebecca Bournigault, and Rosemarie Trockel.
Other works
In addition to these main sections, the permanent collection houses galleries dedicated to the painters Matisse and Dufy and other works by contemporary artists.
