To some, Paris is the City of Light. To others, it’s the City of Love. But to art lovers, it’s simply the city of art — and there’s so much to see that it’s hard to know where to start. As the Minnesota Star Tribune’s visual art critic and arts reporter, here’s what caught my eye when I was in Paris — and what I suggest doing when you go next.
This beautiful human-animal hybrid creature is known as “lamassu,” and was known as a sign of divinity in the Mesopotamian world. Created during the Assyrian Empire in the late 8th century B.C., in an area that is now Iraq, it guarded the Palace of Sargon II. It was excavated in the mid-19th cen., and lives on at the Louvre Museum in Paris. (Alicia Eler/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Cost: 22 euros (about $23).
What is it? The Louvre is one of the most famous art museums in the world. Built as a military fortress in the 13th century, it transformed into a residence for the royal family, and became a museum in 1793. Grab a coffee and stand in the longest line ever, even if you have a ticket — it’s worth the wait.
What to see: The Egyptian wing is one of the largest in the world, with more than 50,000 objects. Don’t miss the well preserved mummy of Pacheri from the Ptolemaic period (305-30 B.C.), wrapped entirely in strips of linen. “In the Department of Oriental Antiques, stand between two giant lamassu, mythological creatures from the 8th century B.C. that are referenced in the poem the Epic of Gilgamesh. Author Elif Shafak’s latest novel, “There Are Rivers in the Sky,” centers around the 19th-century excavations of these statues. From there, hop over to the Denon Wing and check out the French Crown Jewels in Gallery d’Appolon, where a crowd gathers around the glistening crown of Louis XV, covered in diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. The 11 paintings in the gallery tell the story of the Sun and Apollo, with works by nine French artists, including Eugène Delacroix and Charles Louis Muller. If you can stand the crowds, try to take a selfie with the Mona Lisa, who now has her own room.
Van Gogh’s famous “Portrait of the Artist” is one of the many iconic artworks on view at Musée d’Orsay in Paris. (Alicia Eler/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Cost: 11-16 euros ($11-$17).
What is it? Musée d’Orsay is housed in a former railway station built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. Take an elevator straight to the top and see the giant clock, which was designed for the train station. Gaze through the transparent frame and see the city framed in various ways, then pose for a selfie with it.