This is my 6th in the Paris Travel Series. Here is a link to the one before.
When I stay in a great city longer than a few days there is an opportunity, and in my case, a responsibility to find “undiscovered jewels”. Today there would be two–Jacquemart-Andre Museum and the Musee Marmottan Monet. In my apartment there is a map taped to the wall. Clearly an aid to visitors, and on the map there is one circled item-only one–Jacquemart-Andre Museum. It seemed important enough to an earlier tourist and so it peaked my interest. I managed to arrive at the museum by bus with no problems. However, as this was Saturday, and August, and in a residential part of town, the restaurants, that is most of them, were closed. This was of particular concern because now I was hungry. Ah ha! The museum had a restaurant and what a delight it was. Let’s do lunch in Paris–next Tuesday?
Today my “jewel” is less about the magnificent house and the art collection and more about the beautiful lovely stunning restaurant. I could only think of all of the people that I would love to share this moment with. I can imagine garden clubs and friends and grandchildren and all of the people my mother would love this place it had everything Parisian that one could want
It seems, quite by accident, that I was attracted to Monet. I so enjoyed his water lily paintings spanning two fabulous galleries at l’Orangerie, that I spontaneously planned a trip to Giverny on Sunday. Now I thought it would be appropriate to visit the museum that housed more Monet paintings and any other place in the world. My afternoon quest was to find Marmottan Monet museum. I arrived with just 30 minutes to spare before closing–but what a rewarding half hour. And the added jewel was the vast collection of Berthe Morrisot–her paintings and her collection. Again “the biggest public holding of this artist work”.
When you have the chance to see an in-depth collection of one artists work, you have better insight to their style, to their technique, to what captures their passion. One picture does not tell a story. Take me to the Marmottan Monet Museum.