A guide to the collection - Musée d'Art Moderne - Ville de Paris

Musée
d’Art moderne
de la Ville
de Paris
Tour guide
MUSÉES
DE LA
VILLE DE
PARIS
musees.paris.fr
MUSÉES
DE LA

A
B
1
2
3
4 à 7
8
2
3
4
7
Detailed plan of the permanent collections
(Level -2)
Staircase to the Matisse Gallery and Dufy Gallery
Staircase to the Boltanski Gallery and Noire Gallery
Galleries with disabled access:
1, 2, 3, 8 - 12bis, 16, 17, 17 bis
A general plan of the museum
can be found at the end
of the leaflet
B
11
5
6
1
12
Fauvism and Cubism
Abstraction-Creation
Decorative arts
Surrealism
The Paris School
10
8
12bis
9
17bis
8
A
13
17
16
14bis
A
14
16
9 Realist art
10 Abstract art
11 Étienne-Martin Collection
12 Eugène Leroy
12 bis New Realism
13 à 17 bis Contemporary art tour
15
Presentation
A guide to
the collection
The City of Paris Museum of Modern Art was officially
opened in 1961 in the East Wing of the Palais de Tokyo, built
by the architects Dondel, Aubert, Viard and Dastugue for the
1937 International Exhibition.
Donors, collectors and artists have played a crucial role in
enriching the museum collections since its very beginnings.
An exceptional bequest of more than five hundred works
by Dr Maurice Girardin is one of the highlights of the current
collection and includes a body of Fauvist paintings, an
important group of Cubist works and numerous works from
the Paris School. In 1954, Électricité de France donated the
huge mural by Raoul Dufy entitled La Fée Électricité
[The Electricity Fairy]. Donations from Amos (1955) and
Henry-Thomas (1976,1984,1986) also played a decisive part
in establishing the museum’s identity. The museum has
also received gifts from numerous artists.
Moreover, from 1937, the City of Paris had already started
to acquire major artworks such as The Dance by Matisse.
The museum collection based around outstanding works
(Bonnard, the decorative arts from the inter-war era,
Delaunay, Dufy, Fautrier, Rouault, Étienne Martin, etc)
was further enriched by groups of work representing
contemporary movements (New Realism, Arte Povera,
Supports/Surfaces, Narrative Figuration, German painting,

Presentation
the young French scene, etc.) forming representative
groupings of the main figures in contemporary art and
encouraging new artists.
Temporary exhibitions are a fundamental part of the
museum’s core activities. ARC (the contemporary art
department) provides a national and international
information service and hosts exhibitions focusing on
a theme or single artist designed to introduce the public
to the most innovative artistic trends.
The new displays offer a perspective on modern and
contemporary art, highlighting major artistic figures who
have perhaps been unjustly overlooked by history of art
in recent times. This provides an opportunity to rediscover
paintings by artists ranging from Pascin to Valladon and
from Vuillard to Dufy working in the modern style on the
fringes of the avant-garde movements, as well as to dwell
on the return to Realism in the 1930s pursued in the
post-war era by Buffet, and to reflect on abstract art born
in the 1940s in the wake of Surrealism and its relationship
with literature.
Galleries devoted to figures such as Étienne-Martin and
Eugène Leroy punctuate this tour and offer an opportunity
to explore their highly individual artistic worlds. Lastly, in
keeping with the museum’s exhibition policy and its ongoing
interest in the international art scene, the collections
represent contemporary artists through works by Bridget
Riley and Cerith Wyn Evans, in particular, and the medium
Gallery 2
Frank Kupka,
Diagonal
planes, 1925
Étienne Béöthy,
Dominant seven
chords, opus 81,
1938 © ADAGP
Presentation
of video art. A large amount of space is also devoted to the
decorative arts and furniture from the 1920s and 1930s,
echoing the architecture and origins of the museum itself.
The tour follows a route incorporating areas recreating part
of the original structure of the building. The monumental
galleries look out over courtyards to the Seine, allowing
natural light to come in and establishing a relationship
between interior and exterior space.

André Derain
Three figures
seated on the
grass, 1906
© Musée d’Art moderne
de la Ville de Paris /
Roger-Viollet
© ADAGP
Gallery 1
Permanent collections Permanent collections
Fauvism and Cubism - Gallery 1
The tour begins with Fauvist masterpieces by Matisse,
Derain and Vlaminck and is complemented by a selection
of some thirty ceramic works which are the fruit of artists’
collaboration with André Mettey. In the same gallery,
works by Picasso, Braque, Fernand Léger and Juan Gris
establish a dialogue with other strands of Cubism, Golden
Section and Orphism paintings, of which the museum has a
representative collection.
Abstraction - Creation - Gallery 2
Robert Delaunay’s Rhythm No. 1 (1938) launched the trend
for abstract art in the inter-war era, with most artists
belonging to the Abstraction-Creation group which was an
umbrella for all non-figurative, geometric and biomorphic
art in the 1930s.
Pablo Picasso
Dove with green peas, 1911
© Musée d’Art Moderne / Roger-Viollet
© Succession Picasso 2009
Gallery 1
Decorative Arts Gallery
Jean Dunand,
Sports, 1935
André Arbus, Suite
of furniture for the
Society of Interior
Decorators’ pavilion
at the International
Exhibition, 1937
© Pierre Antoine
Decorative Arts - Gallery 3
One of the monumental galleries overlooking the Seine
displays a collection of decorative art from the 1930s
consisting of furniture and objets d’art. Around a painted
panel entitled Sports (1935), created by Dunand for the
steamship Normandie, is prestigious furniture designed
by Ruhlmann, Printz, Arbus, Chareau and Adnet testifying
to the City of Paris’ commitment to classic and modernist
decorative arts when the museum was established.
During the 1937 International Arts and Technology
Exhibition, the City of Paris purchased many high-quality,
lavishly-worked objects from leading ceramicists,
glassworkers, brass workers and metalworkers, which
pushed the existing boundaries of form and materials.

Permanent collections Permanent collections
Victor Brauner
Portrait of Breton, 1934
© Musée d’Art moderne/ Roger-Viollet
© ADAGP
Gallery 6
Francis Picabia
The Lovers, circa 1924-1925
© Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de
Paris / Roger-Viollet © ADAGP
Gallery 4
Dada and Surrealism - Galleries 4, 5, 6 and 7
André Breton provides the focal point for Surrealism
in this gallery, with works from his studio (donated by
Aube Breton-Elléouët and Oona Elléouët). Work from his
collection, purchased when the contents of his studio at 42,
rue Fontaine were sold off in 2003, provides an insight into
some of the personalities and high points of the movement
- collective exquisite corpses sessions and group exhibitions,
notably the 1938 exhibition. These displays are regularly
updated because of the fragile nature of the works on paper
and photographs.
Pierre Bonnard
Nude in the
bath, 1936
© Musée d’Art moderne
de la Ville de Paris /
Roger-Viollet © ADAGP
Gallery 8
Raoul Dufy
30 years or life
in pink, 1931
Musée d’Art moderne
de la Ville de Paris
© Musée d’Art
moderne/ Roger-Viollet
© ADAGP
Gallery 8
Paris School - Gallery 8
The Paris School is extremely well represented, with works
by Marc Chagall (The Dream, 1927), portraits by Amedeo
Modigliani, Chaïm Soutine, Moïse Kisling, Kees Van Dongen
and Pascin. Masters of independent art such as Henri
Matisse, Raoul (30 years or life in pink, 1931) and Pierre
Bonnard (Nude in the Bath, 1936) are displayed in parallel,
recalling the crucial role played by colour in the French
art scene from the inter-war ear.
Amedeo Modigliani
Woman with a fan,
Lunia Czechowska, 1919
© Musée d’Art Moderne / Roger-Viollet
Gallery 8

(on the left)
Jean Fautrier
The Jewish
woman, 1943
© Musée d’Art Moderne
/ Roger-Viollet
© ADAGP
Gallery 9
(on the right)
Jean Degottex
E.T.C IV,
30.03.1967, 1967
© Musée d’Art moderne
de la Ville de Paris /
Roger-Viollet
© ADAGP
Gallery 10
Permanent collections Permanent collections
Realist art - Gallery 9
The works on display recreate some of the history and
character of the museum by presenting a meaningful
picture of art in the 1930s, in particular acquisitions made
in 1937. This section, dedicated to Realist art of the 1930s
and 1940s, brings together works by André Derain,
Marcel Gromaire, Francis Gruber as well as a representative
collection of works by Bernard Buffet and Jean Fautrier.
Anton Räderscheidt’s 1928 Self-portrait depicts a dreamlike
figure reminiscent of Magical Realism. This major work
from the German school of New Objectivity was acquired
for the collection in 2007.
Abstract art - Gallery 10
A variety of forms of abstract art are displayed here,
including pure abstract action painting (Hans Hartung,
Pierre Soulages, Georges Mathieu) and new forms of graphic
innovation (Jean Degottex, Mark Tobey, Henri Michaux),
with paintings by Vieira da Silva providing a transition
between abstract and figurative styles.
Étienne-Martin
Gallery
Wink, 1970
© Pierre Antoine
© ADAGP
Étienne-Martin Collection - Gallery 11
This space displays the major gift of fifteen sculptures
by Étienne-Martin made to the museum by l’Oréal.
This is complemented by the generous gift of a large body
of archive material by Madame Marie-Thérèse Martin-Le
Balc’h. The varied range of formats and materials displayed
covers almost the whole of the sculptor’s career, illustrating
the different major series which marked his progression:
early abstract arts, Dwellings, Games and Roots, salvaged
materials and polychromy.

(on the left)
Eugène Leroy
Portrait, 1962
© Musée d’Art Moderne
/ Roger-Viollet
© ADAGP
Gallery 12
(on the right)
Raymond Hains
Saffa, 1964
© Philippe Ladet /
Musée d’Art Moderne /
Roger-Viollet
© ADAGP
Gallery 12 bis
Permanent collections Permanent collections
Eugène Leroy - Gallery 12
The first section presents around ten paintings
by Eugène Leroy, including recent gifts from his sons.
Portraiture, nudes, landscapes and flowers provide
the artist with the necessary structure with which to
experiment until form is virtually swallowed up by colour.
New Realism - Gallery 12 bis
The second section brings together a selection of works
by the New Realists, a group of artists attempting to
redefine the relationship between art and reality. Everyday,
urban and industrial objects are incorporated into their
works, taking the form of “snare-pictures” (Spoerri),
accumulation (Arman), torn poster collage (Hains) and
assemblage (Raysse). This selection of works culminates
with a tribute to Alain Jacquet.
Contemporary tour - Galleries 13 - 17 bis
The contemporary tour is based around events which
have made an impact on the history of the museum,
including the exhibition Mythologies quotidiennes (1964),
with works by the Narrative Figuration movement and
“new historical painting” (Gallery 13). Gallery 14 exhibits
the work by Simon Hantaï, who died in 2008, but whose
enduring creativity is captured in the museum’s collection.
Gallery 14 bis explores the close ties between the works of
Jean Dupuy and the artists belonging to the Fluxus group.
Gallery 15 houses paintings by major contemporary artists
including Gerhard Richter, Georg Baselitz and Bernard Frize,
as well as recently acquired work by Christopher Wool.
Certain artists pursued their personal path in parallel
to the major artistic trends, such as Alan Charlton,
Bridget Riley (who featured in a retrospective at the
museum in 2008), exploring colour and its resonances
in abstract art.
Influenced by Conceptual art, Surrealism and by the
Situationism of the 1960s and 1970s, Cerith Wyn Evans
(Gallery 16) created a collection of chandeliers recreating
passages from his own private world in the form of
Morse code.
Gallery 17 is devoted to displaying recently acquired
contemporary works showcasing the very latest trends.

Bridget Riley
Lilac painting, 2003-2008
© Bridget Riley
Gallery 15
Permanent collections Permanent collections
Simon Hantaï
Enguerrand Quarton,
Meun, 1968-1973
© ADAGP
Gallery 14
Henri Matisse
The Dance of
Paris, 1931-1933
© Succession
Henri Matisse
Matisse Gallery
Individually accessible galleries
Dufy Gallery
The former reception room of the museum houses the
huge mural painted by Raoul Dufy for the 1937 International
Art and Technology Exhibition. Originally installed in the
Pavillon de la Lumière built by Mallet-Stevens, it depicts the
history of electricity through its applications and inventors.
Matisse Gallery
The Unfinished Dance (1931) and The Dance of Paris
(1931-1933) comprise two of the three versions of the
mural commissioned from Matisse in 1930 by Doctor
Albert C. Barnes for his foundation in Merion, Pennsylvania.
Abandoning traditional oil on canvas, he invented the
new technique of using coloured paper cut-outs to put the
finishing touches to his work. Buren’s Wall of Paintings
has been installed opposite it. The apse houses alternating
thematic or monographic displays of works from the Henry-
Thomas collection as a tribute to these two major donors.

Raoul Dufy
The Electricity Fairy, 1937
Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris
© Florian Kleinefenn © ADAGP
Dufy Gallery

Isabelle
Cornaro
Oskar
Fischinger’s
First Dream
© Isabelle Cornaro
courtesy of the Balice
Hertling Gallery
Noire Gallery
Permanent collections
Noire Gallery
The spaces which comprise the Noire Gallery offer four
different video presentations per year, alternating with
projects devoted to single artists or ARC exhibitions.
Boltanski Gallery
This gallery exhibits a selection of iconic works by
Boltanski tracing the evolution of his style. They include
The Storeroom of the Children’s Museum I and II, 1989
evoking the fragility of memory and life; Shadows Theatre
1984-1997, whose poetic style conjures up the danse
macabre of the Middle Ages and children’s puppet games,
and Telephone subscribers, 2000, in which thousands of
names listed in telephone directories worldwide present
a condensed version of humanity.
Christian Boltanski
The Storeroom of the
Children’s Museum I and II, 1989
© Christophe Fouin © ADAGP
Boltanski Gallery
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Information
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Partial disabled access

Musée d’Art moderne
de la Ville de Paris
11, avenue du Président Wilson
75116 Paris
Tel : +33 (0)1 53 67 40 00
Fax : +33 (0)1 47 23 35 98
www.mam.paris.fr
Getting there
Metro stations:
Alma-Marceau or Iéna
RER station: Pont de l’Alma (line C)
Bus lines: 32/42/63/72/80/92
Vélib’ station
(self-service cycle hire):
2, avenue Marceau
Opening hours
Permanent collections /
Temporary exhibitions:
Tuesday to Sunday 10 am- 6 pm
(last admissions 5.45 pm)
> Evening opening: Exhibitions
only, Thursday until 10 pm (last
admissions 9.45 pm)
> Closed Mondays and public
holidays
Mairie de Paris - DIRECTION DES AFFAIRES CULTURELLES COMMUNIC’ART /
Design and plans: Passe Moi le Sel – Cover photograph: Pierre Antoine,
Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris / Roger-Viollet - Robert
Delaunay, Rhythm No.1 ©L&M SERVICES B.V. The Hague 20090903,
Fernand Léger, Discs, ©ADAGP, Paris 2009. - November 2009
Admissions
> Free admission to the permanent
collections
> Admission charge for temporary
exhibitions
Cloakroom
Bulky items must be stored in the
free cloakroom provided for the
exclusive use of museum visitors.
Museum bookshop
and cafe
There is a museum bookshop.
A cafe offers a varied menu during
museum opening hours
Educational and
Cultural Office
Guided lecture tours
and children’s workshops.
Information and bookings:
+33 (0)1 53 67 40 80
Friends of the Museum
Information and membership:
+33 (0)1 53 67 40 40
lesamis@samamvp.com