Museums Galore!

I'm going to make this quick b/c I have to get to bed soon if I have any hope of getting up early enough to catch my train to London in the morning...The past few days were full of museums including the Musee d'Art et d'Histoire de Judaisme (Jewish Art and History Museum, which did not allow photos), the Musee Carnavalet (two mansions filled with an entire history of France through art and objects), National Museum of Modern Art at the Centre Pompidou.

The Musee du Judaisme was so incredibly peaceful compared to the bustling streets of Paris. It's a short walk from the apartment and there's a stone filled courtyard off the rue du Temple that leads into the museum. Like I said, no pics inside but I got a few of the courtyard. Inside had a rather complete history of the Jews in France (it seemed like a vicious cycle of constantly being kicked out and then "requested" to return). But, it did reveal how diverse the culture is here and sprinkled throughout the museum were little vignettes of Jews living here today, which was an interesting contrast to the medieval and revolutionary relics that were on display. I enjoyed the visit very much and was glad I stopped in.

The Musee Carnavalet wasn't on my list of sites to see until later but when I got to the musee de Picasso I discovered it was recently closed for a three year renovation. So, on to the Carnavalet, where they had a beautifully lush and manicured garden as well as dozens and dozens of rooms filled with art and furnishings that date back to pre-revolution eras. I was really impressed by the detail of the preservation, the goldleaf on the walls was still intact and the stained designs in the wood floors were still sparkling. The house itself was immaculate and easy to get lost in.

And on to the Pompidou: not known for particularly "pretty" art but important works nonetheless. Though I disagree with the previous sentence there were alot of arguable pretty pieces by Matisse and Picasso as well as Chagall on display. The structure of the Pompidou is interesting b/c the arichtect designed it so that the front of the building was actually the escalators, elevators, and stairs that led throughout the museum, so when you look at it it looks like a maze of pipes on the outside. (Super Mario Bros. anyone?) The main floor of the museum focused on an exhibit on Feminist Art, which by its virtue focused on women's struggle in the art world. It was definitely eye-opening if not a bit raw and maybe even a little obscene for most Western sensibilities. It certainly made you think and I spent a great deal of time going through the exhibit, making me grateful for my Gender Studies concentration in college. I discovered a French sculptor I really liked named Henri Gaudier-Brezska. He actually died at the age of 23 fighting in WWI, but he had some really interesting stuff, again no photos allowed. I think I'll actually go back to this again since it's so close to the apartment. Anyway, here are soe photos, enjoy cuz I'm off to sleep!