Museum of Modern Art in Paris visitor guide

Visit Museum of Modern Art in Paris, Paris

The Museum of Modern Art in Paris is an important museum on the Avenue du President Wilson, sited in a wing of the imposing modernist building called the Palais de Tokyo, in the east of the 16th arrondissement.

Discover the Museum of Modern Art in Paris

France This Way review: the museum features a quite extensive range by modern artists, and was very interesting to visit

We did find the absence of maps and information inside the museum a bit disappointing, and I think it would be easy to accidentally overlook large numbers of the exhibits, so make sure you have a good look around!

Modernist bust in the museum

As well as the works by the famous artists such as Matisse, Picasso and Dufy, there are many works by lesser known artists, and some of them very interesting to discover for the first time.

As with every Modern Art museum, there are some artworks that you can't quite understand the appeal, but that is all part of modern art, so entirely natural.

The museum is less extensive than museums of modern art that you will find in some cities, in part perhaps because Paris also has several other important modern art museums such as the Pompidou Centre, the Picasso Museum, the Orangerie with the paintings of Water Lilies by Monet, and the Rodin Museum.

Matisse: the Dance

In a completely separate room from the main collections you can see two large versions of the painting called The Dance by Matisse, called The Dance: Unfinished and The Dance of Paris. These large scale paintings are quite possibly the highlight of a visit. The two paintings we see were both prepared as part of the planning for the main work, which was commissioned by a wealthy American.

It is very interesting to learn how the painting evolved. For example, Matisse paused work on the Dance: Unfinished and used it as a 'practice board' for the subsequent paintings, attaching large pieces of coloured paper to the board as a test for how it would look. These pieces of coloured paper were then later used for the Dance of Paris. This incomplete version was then abandoned, and only rediscovered in 1992.

Museum of Modern Art visitor nformation

The Museum is open approximately 9.30-18.00 each day, but closed on Mondays.

You can explore the permanent collections at no charge (they ask for a donation of five euros, but you are not under pressure to pay). Frequent temporary exhibits are held in the museum but these do have an entrance charge, which varies according to the exhibition.

The Dance by Matisse exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in Paris

As well as exploring the museum, take the time to stroll down towards the river in front of the Palais de Tokyo so you can appreciate the statues and reliefs in the courtyard, as well as the building itself. The riverside here has a nice view of the Eiffel Tower.

Attractions nearby

The Museum of Fashion is in the Palais Galliera, just across the road from the entrance to the Museum of Modern Art, and the Eiffel Tower is a short distance south of here, on the south side of the river.

You can find more travel ideas in the Paris region guide.

To make travel arrangements to visit Museum of Modern Art in Paris see HERE