Museums and Monuments
Masterpieces of the Louvre
Visiting the Louvre—the world's largest museum—can be a rather overwhelming experience. The vastness of the museum's collections, which cover the history of art from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome through 19th-century France, can make it difficult to decide what to see. On this carefully-curated 3-hour tour of the Louvre, we'll explore the museum's most well-loved masterpieces, including the Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa, and the grand format paintings of David, Géricault, and Delacroix, as well as many hidden treasures lying off the beaten path. I'll help you to navigate the Louvre's labyrinthine corridors and galleries, and ensure that you have a rich, comprehensive—and enjoyable!—experience of the museum and the artworks it contains.
Louvre: Thematic Visits
These tours are designed for visitors who have already experienced the Louvre's most famous works, as well as for first-time visitors who are looking to explore the museum from a different angle and away from the crowds. There are more than 35,000 artworks displayed in the galleries of the Louvre, many of which remain hidden in plain sight, overshadowed by "must-sees" like the Mona Lisa and the Nike of Samothrace. These thematic tours allow us to delve deeper into the less-visited parts of the museum and to enjoy the unparalleled richness of its collections. Possible themes include Dutch masters, French masters, Italian masters, French Revolution, and Egyptian antiquities, among others. Please contact me to discuss the details of these customized thematic visits.
Gothic Architecture in Paris
Though the fire at Notre-Dame on April 15, 2019 has rendered the cathedral inaccessible to us today, there are many other stunning Gothic buildings in Paris to visit. In fact, Paris was the epicenter of the explosion of Gothic architecture in Europe beginning in the 12th century. On this 3-hour tour, we'll explore some of Paris' other Gothic edifices, including Saint-Séverin and the Sainte-Chapelle, to learn about the religious symbolism and structural engineering that brought this style to life. We'll see that a desire for light-filled spaces necessitated an architectural revolution that resulted in some of the most breathtaking buildings in the world. Armed with our new knowledge, we'll visit Notre-Dame (exterior only), where we'll learn how medieval engineers designed churches to withstand fire and ultimately saved the cathedral from destruction in the 21st century.
Musée d'Orsay
On this 3-hour tour of the Musée d'Orsay, we'll explore how the artistic movements of mid- and late-19th century France, from the Barbizon School, to the Realists, to the Impressionists and the Post-Impressionists, were a response to the rapidly-changing world that their artists inhabited. A spate of technological and scientific advancements in the 19th century—including train travel and mechanization—combined with the end of the French monarchy led to a drastic restructuring of society which was reflected in the arts. By the end of our tour, we'll have a good understanding of what the term "modern" means, and how the art of the second half of the 19th century was a reaction to, and embodiment of, European modernity.
Impressionists in Paris
While the Musée d'Orsay contains Paris' best-known collection of Impressionist masterpieces, two other museums in the city house notable collections of Impressionist painting: the Orangerie and the Musée Marmottan Monet. This tour, designed especially for Monet fans, makes stops at all three. In 6 hours, we'll explore the origins of Impressionism at the Orsay and appreciate different artists' interpretations of the style. Then, we'll head to the Orangerie to be immersed in Monet's monumental water lily cycles. We'll finish at the Musée Marmottan where we'll visit the painting that started it all: Monet's Impression, Sunrise. At the end of the day, we'll have a deep appreciation of the variety and richness of one of the most-loved art movements of the 19th century.
Whether you're hoping to reserve one of the tours from my standard portfolio, or to create something tailored to your needs and interests, I will work with you to craft an experience that will be just right for you. I'm also happy to offer family-friendly versions of my tours which are specially designed to engage children of all ages.
For all inquiries and bookings, please contact me directly.