"Impression: Sunrise" by Claude Monet
"The Japanese Bridge at Giverny, by Claude Monet
From an article by Rick Steves last week in the
San Francisco Chronicle
Not all art masterpieces are kept in the powerhouse museums. Europe is filled with many fine little museums that amply reward those who venture beyond the monumental sights. Smaller places have their own superstar attractions, and because their collections are rarely encyclopedic, you can see everything in one visit and still feel fresh.
Take, for example, Paris' Marmottan and Orangerie museums. Fans of Monet and Impressionism gravitate toward the Orsay Museum, with its impressive collection - and inevitable crowds. But savvy sightseers know they can get their Monet fix - with less competition - elsewhere. Monet himself designed the setting for his great water lily paintings at Paris' Orangerie, where French royalty once grew orange trees for its palaces.
Perched on the edge of Paris and fronted by a lovely park, the Marmottan owns one of the best collections anywhere of works by Monet, including the painting that gave Impressionism its name ("Impression: Sunrise"). After a pleasant stroll through the galleries, you'll still have enough energy to enjoy the museum's park and to wander along nearby Rue de Passy, one of Paris' most pleasant and upscale shopping streets.
Europe's cultural wonders often hide out in fascinating buildings that were never meant to be museums. For instance, one of Michelangelo's "PietÀs" lives in Milan's Sforza Castle, itself a Renaissance palace where Leonardo da Vinci was the in-house genius to the mighty Sforza dukes. The exquisite and famous "Lady and the Unicorn" tapestries are among the medieval treasures in Paris' gem-like Cluny Museum, once the mansion of an important church leader.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Little-museums-offer-big-treasures-3884200.php#ixzz27QKMi6Wu
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