Museum of Modern Art

Built for the World Fair in 1937, this building has two parts and are linked by a white stone portico. The Musée d’Art Moderne was also named the Palais de Tokyo.

Design

The walls of the terrace are decorated with reliefs by Janniot and with statues by Bourdelle including La France, in memory of the patriots killed in World War Two. In the east wing, there is a collection of modern art, from the turn of the century to the present day.

The Collection

The Museum of Modern Art is well worth visiting for its selection of the major art movements of the twentieth century. You can find well-known artists such as Vlaminck, Zadkine, Picasso, Braque, Juan Gris, Valadon, Matisse, Dufy, Utrillo, Delaunays, Chagall, Modigliani, Léger and many others, as well as by sculpture and painting by contemporary artists. Among the most spectacular works on permanent show are Roben and Sonia Delaunay’s huge whirling wheels and cogs of rainbow colour the pale leaping figures of Matisse’s La Danse and Dufy’s enormous mural, La Fée Electricité, illustrating the story of electricity from Aristotle to the then modern power station, in 250 lyrical, colourful panels filling three entire walls is considered like one of the biggest interior paintings. The upper floors of the gallery are reserved for all sorts of contemporary and experimental work, including music and photography.
In the bookshop are a number of artists’ designs, among them a set of Sonia Delaunay’s playing cards, guaranteed to rejuvenate the most jaded cardsharp.