Museum Review: Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris

It’s finally here: the reopening of (certain) museums in Paris! A select few institutions have opened their doors to allow limited numbers of visitors to once again explore their halls. Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris was among these museums, and though wearing a mask was required at all times during the visit, it was nice to finally have a cultural outing in the city.

There is no special exhibition currently on view at the MAM Paris, however the permanent collection is open to visitors, and admission is free. Because of social distancing protocols, a strict pathway through the museum was set up to establish a specific flow through the galleries and avoid pockets of crowding people. I found this actually made the visit much easier, and the typical museum anxiety of which gallery to enter next was therefore eradicated (one tiny positive to a global pandemic).

Paintings: Bernard Buffet. Sculpture: Jean Fautrier

I’ve been to this museum before to visit a temporary exhibition (read about it here), but I didn’t get the chance to explore the permanent collection. It is an international collection but consists majorly of French artists—including artists living/working in France during their careers—with works dating from the 20th to 21st century. The visit goes in a generally chronological order, categorized by major art movements.

The real delights of the museum are the Salle Matisse and Salle Dufy (single galeries dedicated to monumental works by their namesake artists, separated from the permanent collection). There are some big names in the permanent collection as well, but I was surprised with how many of the artists I had never heard of. I would have loved to see more women artists, the ratio felt rather inadequate. There are no masterpieces or standout galleries, but it is a solid collection of some notable modern and contemporary artists.