Description

Essentials about the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in brief

Paris has always been a city of art, fashion and design. Not surprisingly, over the centuries the French capital has been home to some of the most beautiful and important creations in fashion, jewelry, furniture, glass, porcelain and crafts in general. And so it is only logical that Paris is also home to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, one of the largest and most important arts and crafts museums in the entire world.

The building of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs

The museum is located in the north wing of the Louvre Palace and has its own entrance on Rue de Rivoli. Historically, the construction dates back to Napoleon Bonaparte, who wanted to have a new wing added to the Louvre Palace at the beginning of the 19th century to connect it with the then still existing Tuileries Palace in the Tuileries Garden. During the Paris Commune uprising in 1871, the north wing of the Louvre was destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt a few years later (unlike the Palais des Tuileries, which was not rebuilt after the destruction).

The collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs

The museum has a total stock of about 150,000 art objects, of which about 6,000 are on display to the public at a time. The collections are grouped into five chronological sections (Medieval to Renaissance, 17th to 18th century, 19th century, Art Nouveau to Art Deco, Modern to 21st century) and five thematic sections (graphic arts, jewelry, toys, glass and historical wallpaper). Thus, the chronological tour is intended to show visitors the evolution of decorative arts over time. Objects from other fields, such as furniture, tableware, graphic art, goldsmithing, glass art, ceramics, wallpaper, tapestries, painting and sculpture are presented together.

As can not be otherwise in Paris, the “Fashion and Textile” section is one of the most popular of the museum. Here the development of clothing and fashion accessories of the last four centuries is presented. Of course, creations of the most famous French fashion houses, such as Chanel, Dior and Yves Saint Laurent are not to be missed. The “Advertising” section is also of great interest with its extraordinary collection of old and new poster art, as well as advertising films, newspaper ads, radio spots and other promotional material. The works from the “Fashion and Textiles” and “Advertising” sections can be seen exclusively in temporary exhibitions.

Website

madparis.fr

Opening hours

Admission fees

For information on combination tickets with other attractions, see the website.

Address

Getting there

By public transport:

Métro lines 1 and 7: Stop Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre

Bus lines 21, 69, 72, N11 and N24: Stop Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre

Bus lines 27, 39, 68, 69 and 95: Stop Musée du Louvre

Bus lines 27, 39, 68 and 95: Stop Palais Royal – Comedie Francaise

Bus line 68: Stop Pyramides / Saint-Honore

Bus lines 72, N11 and N24: Stop Pyramides / Tuileries

By car:

The closest car parks are the Parking Pyramides and Louvre Samaritaine.