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Yesterday we visited two famous art galleries, the Orangerie and the Louvre.
First stop was the Orangerie where there are two rooms of Monet's waterlilies. It is a beautiful museum which has been closed for a number of years for refurbishment. Now that it is open again it is set out the way Monet designed it with an anti room leading into the waterlilies galleries so that the rush and bustle of Paris can be left behind while you contemplate waterlilies at various times of the day and year.
Downstairs in this gallery there is a fantastic collection of artwork brought together by an art dealer, Paul Guillaume, who supported struggling artists before they became well known. We saw many wonderful paintings including an collection of Modigliani works none of which I had seen before. This was really significant for me as one of the best teaching moment I ever had was talking with my class about portraits and looking at various works of art including those of Modigliani. The kids then had to draw a portrait in the same style (long & narrow with oversized features). The results were amazing and we caused quite a stir when we displayed our work in the corridor outside the classroom. I only wish I had taken photos of the kids' work. At least now I have seen some real Modigliani's and remember fondly that teaching moment.
We then moved onto lunch at one of the cafes in the Tuileries. What a great experience, sitting there have a glass of wine and some good food surrounded by Paris and artwork. Check the album and you will see what I mean.
From there onto the Louvre. It had been over 30 years since I had been there and I had completely forgotten how huge and overwhelming it was. We saw the iconic works including Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa. The crowd in front of Mona was about 30 deep but we wandered around the side towards the exit and got a great view with the pushing and shoving of the crowd. We spent about 3 hours there and need to go back as be barely scratched the surface.
From the Louvre we found a little bar and restaurant for dinner. Many more French people there which was nice. Have included a couple of photos for the goodies out there.
Until next installment!
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