10 good things to do during the November holiday
Exhibitions, free permanent collections, activities: get involved in arts and culture in Paris during the holiday!
Whether you are spending the whole two weeks of holiday (lucky you) or just a few days in Paris, remember these 10 good things to do in the City of Paris museums!
1] Go and see the Japanese masterpieces in the Musée Cernuschi!
Tawaraya Sōtatsu, Dieux du vent et du tonnerre, XVIIe siècle, paire de paravents à deux panneaux, encre et couleurs sur feuille d’or, Kyōto, Kennin-ji
Ouvre classée au Japon «Trésor national»
This is a very special exhibition! After the success of the exhibition, Jakuchū, The Colourful Realm of Living Beings, the Musée Cernuschi picks up the reins to show us some Japanese national treasures in their exhibition, Treasures of Kyoto, three centuries of Rinpa Art.
The museum of Asian arts is displaying some of the crown jewels of Japanese art, the Rinpa movement, in a chronological exhibition which includes one of the most beautiful national treasures of Japan: the magnificent Gods of Wind and Thunder by Tawaraya Sotatsu.
Exhibition: from 26 October 2018 to 27 January 2019 at the Musée Cernuschi
2] Go and see the permanent collections in the City of Paris
Tous droits réservés
Did you know that there is no admission charge when you visit the permanent collections in City of Paris museums?
Use the November holiday as an opportunity to explore the vast collections of the Petit Palais and to see beautiful paintings by Courbet, Monet, Manet and Delacroix or other works ranging in date from Antiquity to the First World War.
Tous droits réservés
You can explore the works from Asia at the Musée Cernuschi, where the Henri Cernuschi collections from China, Vietnam and Japan await you.
Tous droits réservés
At the Musée Cognacq-Jay you can immerse yourself in the intimacy of 18th century upper-class interiors…
Tous droits réservés
...and, in the Musée de la Vie Romantique, you can rediscover the glory of a 19th century Parisian artistic and intellectual circle.
Tous droits réservés
While you are about it, take the opportunity to visit the Maison de Victor Hugo, a magnificent townhouse located in the heart of the Marais, where the great writer lived between 1832 and 1848...
Tous droits réservés
Or immerse yourself in the amazing works of Antoine Bourdelle in what used to be his studio and is now the Musée Bourdelle. Bourdelle was a pupil of Rodin's and went on to teach Giacometti and Richier.
3] Discover how the public image of Victor Hugo was projected in his day.
Affiche de l'exposition
Enthusiasts of the great writer and politician can explore 180 19th century political and literary caricatures that show how, in his day, Hugo as a public persona was loved and disliked, opposed and respected, hated and celebrated.
Exhibition: Caricatures : Hugo à la une / Caricatures – Hugo as Front-Page News from 13 September 2018 to 6 January 2019 at the Maison de Victor Hugo
4] Go for the family activities over the November holiday
The November holiday could also be an opportunity to discover our activities for all the family. Drawing lessons, lecture visits, walks, visual art workshops – check out our calendar to find the activity that suits you best!
5] Discover the art of Ossip Zadkine
Musée Zadkine
© Benoît Fougeirol 2014
Do you know the work of Ossip Zadkine? An artist and sculptor who attached enormous importance to the material he was working in.
Whether it was plaster, bronze, or wood, it was the essence of the material that dictated the nature of the works he made. The exhibition L’Instinct de la matière / An Instinct for material sheds light on this organic link between the artist and his works.
Exhibition until 10 February 2019 at the Musée Zadkine.
More information about the exhibition: L’Instinct de la matière / An Instinct for material
6] Get a feel for artistic influences passed on from teacher to pupil
Affiche de l'exposition
Antoine Bourdelle’s mentors were Rodin and Falguière, and he in turn taught pupils from all over the world, including Giacometti and Richier. When he came to teach his own pupils, Bourdelle preserved some of the things that his teachers had passed on to him, but rejected other things he had learned from those masters. These complex relationships are marvellously illustrated in the exhibition Transmission, Transgression.
Exhibition: Transmission transgression, from 3 October 2018 to 3 February 2019 at the Musée Bourdelle
More information about the exhibition: Transmission transgression
7] Take a look at the work of the people who originally manufactured Parisian style luxury
Affiche de l'exposition
They were “merchants of everything & makers of nothing”.
They were at one and the same time traders, importers, collectors, designers and decorators.
We're talking about the marchands merciers, the tradespeople who were responsible for manufacturing luxury à la Parisienne. The Musée Cognacq-Jay traces the fortunes of some of the marchands merciers to paint a picture of this group of traders who constituted one of the largest Parisian corporations.
Exhibition: La Fabrique du Luxe / Manufacturing Luxury, from 29 September to 27 January 2019 at the Musée Cognacq-Jay
More information about the exhibition: La Fabrique du Luxe / Manufacturing Luxury
8] Discover the living conditions of the people who fled from Sudan
© Ron Amir
They fled from oppression in Sudan and Eritrea to live in a detention centre in the Negev Desert. Photographer Ron Amir followed them and attempted to give an account of their living conditions and their instinct for survival.
Exhibition Ron Amir, jusqu'au 2 décembre 2019 au Musée d’art Moderne
9] Indulge in escapism with the huge artworks of Zao Wou-Ki
Affiche de l'exposition
Let yourself be carried away by a selection of 40 large-format works by Chinese artist Zao Wou-ki Ki, some of which have never been seen before. The exhibition reflects the vitality of his world and his experiments, which took inspiration from American painting, his travels, poetry, and music.
Exhibition Zao Wou-Ki : L'espace est silence / Space is Silence, until 6 January 2019 at the Musée d’Art Moderne
More information about the exhibition: Zao Wou-Ki : L'espace est silence / Space is Silence
10] Enjoy the Indian summer in the gardens of City of Paris museums
Jardin du Petit Palais
Secluded, secret and free-of-charge, the gardens of the City of Paris museums are ideal places in which to enjoy the mild autumn weather.
While you’re on holiday, treat yourself to a little break in the tropical garden of the Petit Palais, or a cup of tea in the "Rose Bakery" tea room at the Musée de la Vie Romantique!