Similar to Le Samaritaine department store, which I wrote about yesterday, it’s taken over five years for the Carnavalet Museum to re-open after an extensive renovation, costing 58 million euros.
First opened in 1880, the Carnavalet is dedicated to the history of Paris and is the oldest Paris city museum. Located in the heart of the Marais, the museum is an amalgamation of two former hotel particuliers/palaces, the Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau, built in 1690, and Hôtel Carnavalet, one of the oldest mansions in Paris and once the home of Madame Sevigne, built in 1548.
The new renovation includes a more streamlined access of the permanent collection, electronic and interactive displays, two new Exhibition Rooms with key data about the city and the history of the museum’s creation and donors, and new rooms on the lower-level, which exhibit collections from the Mesolithic Era (9000-6000 B.C.) to the mid-16th century, and a new restaurant in the gardens.
I visited the museum last week and entering the courtyard entrance on rue Sevigne, I was greeted by the handsome statue of King Louis XIV. Once inside, I felt a familiar comfort strolling through the first exhibition rooms which have vintage shop and service signs hanging on the walls and from the ceiling, but the mustiness was gone, replaced by a simpler and less cluttered atmosphere. (It seems like they had a once over from Marie Kondo). There were also a number of new, beautifully crafted spiral staircases leading to the various floors, in addition to the meticulous renovation of the escalier de Luynes, the stunning marble staircase and the mural above it.
My two favorite rooms were still intact, Proust’s dark and mysterious bedroom, and the reinstallation of the magnificent, Art Nouveau showcase by Alfonse Mucha of the Fouquet shop on rue Royale.
An extra added bonus was a temporary exhibition of photos by Henri Cartier Bresson.
Another familiar sight I was happy to see again was the garden area with the shrubs manicured in the shape of the fleur de lys.
Next week I will share with you about my lunch in the garden of the museum.
Note: As of right now, you can only visit the museum with a ticket booked online in advance.
https://www.billetterie-parismusees.paris.fr/selection/timeslotpass?productId=101681222175>mStepTracking=true
23 rue de Sévigné, 75003
https://www.Carnavalet.paris.fr/musee-carnavalet
Fouquet Shop
