Of all the Parisian museums and galleries, the Musée Carnavalet is probably not a first-tier attraction, which is a distinct advantage from the visitor’s perspective. It means one is unlikely to encounter the hordes of selfie addicts that swarm around theThe Carnavalet is not a “masterpiece” collection, but a museum dedicated to the history of Paris. It occupies a suitably historic site in the Marais, combining two large, 16th century mansions.
What’s best about the Carnavalet is that the more French history you absorb, the more you get out of every visit. A little knowledge is fleshed out by a voluminous collection of images and objects. If you don’t know much about the subject, there is no better place to start. It’s a refreshingly old-fashioned museum that relies on material culture to tell a story, with less of those ubiquitous audio-visual distractions that make every contemporary museum seem identical.
The dominant painter in this selection is Jean Béraud , a witty, dedicated recorder of Parisian life, and a textbook example of– that “happy medium” between academic realism and Impressionist flair. The modernity of Béraud’s paintings relies on subject matter, with flat, freely brushed areas suggesting a spontaneity that is no more than a masquerade.