Paris Day 2

Having woken up much refreshed after our relaxing night, we met out in the west of Paris (La Muette stop on the Metro) for an art nouveau architectural tour of the neighborhood. This culminated in going to see Guimard's "Castel Beranger" - one of the most amazing buildings. This was happening around the same time Gaudi was building his famous apartments in Barcelona (just to give some context).

Pretty cool, non? 

After this, we headed over to Musee Marmottan. Definitely one of the most underrated museums in Paris, this is one to seek out next time you're in Paris. Not only does it have an amazing collection of French early 19th century empire furniture, it has one of the largest collections of impressionist and post-impressionist work by Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet, Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro, Paul Gauguin, Paul Signac, and Pierre Renoir, but it also contains a huge number of Monet paintings, among them his incredibly famous painting Impression, Sunrise. This painting is basically what gave the "Impressionists" their name. 

We were here until lunch, which we did at a wonderful brasserie nearby. After this, we headed out even further west to the Museum of the 1930's, or Musee des Annees 30. 

This, by far, was my favorite part of the entire trip. This place was so cool!! I'll just include a few pictures of the art/furniture/etc we saw...and that should speak for itself. Literally the coolest place ever. The neighborhood was a mecca for artists, art dealers, designers, architects, and writers in the inter-war period...1920s and 30s. While most of the art created during that period (think of your Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian, etc) lives elsewhere at more well-known art museums in Paris, everything else produced during that period lives here. From barbies to architectural models for houses to art deco teapots, this place is a treasure trove. 

(^^by one of my new favorite artists, Tamara de Lempicka...this is a portrait of her husband but, because he left her, she left his left hand unfinished)

(the above shot is a small bit of this sideboard by Jacques Emile Ruhlmann)

These pictures definitely don't do the place justice...these were just a few things my friends snapped but I cannot wait to take someone to Paris again to go back here. So many things were happening in the '30s - modernism, art deco, industry, etc - and this museum captures it all. There was also a temporary exhibition happening dedicated to the French filmmaker Jean-Jacques Beineix (he did the movies "Diva" and "Betty Blue" in the '80s) and because it was the first day the exhibition was opening, he was there! 

That night, a couple friends and I headed down to the Louvre because it was open late that night (until 9:45 pm) - another must-do thing because there was almost no one here! We literally had entire rooms to ourselves, something that neverrr happens at this museum.

Afterwards, we met up with one of my German friends who is doing med school here in Paris for dinner at a yummy brasserie near the Strasbourg-Saint-Denis metro stop (walkable from where we were staying). Quite a full day in gay Paris :-)