In March 2022 my mom and I had the chance to visit the capital of France, the City of Light, the heart of the Ile-de-France: Paris.
From an artist's perspective I had three "important things" (besides all the other touristy bucket list items) on my to-do-list: visiting the art district Montmartre, exploring the Musee de L'Orangerie and purchasing art supplies from the French brand Sennelier.
We arrived via train (from Germany), and it was a short walk from the train station Gare du Nord to Montmartre. I highly recommend wearing comfortable shoes in Paris. Montmartre is very touristy, but it's definitely a romantic must visit while in Paris. Small bistros, art galleries, mural art, plein air artists, cobblestone paved sidewalks and stunning panoramic views. The Basilica Sacre-Coeur is located at the summit of Montmartre. A wonderful way to start our sightseeing tour.
The Musee de L'Orangerie is an art gallery of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings located in the west corner of the Tuileries Garden next to the Place de la Concorde.
I highly recommend this museum when you are already visited the Louvre, don't have much time or want to avoid bigger crowds.
The museum is most famous as the permanent home of eight large Water Lilies murals by Claude Monet. I was truly speechless. We were amazed that the L'Orangerie also contains famous works of Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, Renoir to name a few.
Number 3 of my bucket list: to visit a historic art supply store. Sennelier pastels were founded in 1887 and they convince by their very creamy texture and vibrant colors. It was exciting to visit a store from the 1880's that was frequented by the masters like Picasso and Degas.
Bisous,
Wilma
from Travel'Art
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