Although the city's modern-art museum hasn't generated a buzz comparable to that of the Centre Georges Pompidou, it can be a more pleasant experience because, like many smaller museums, there are often no crowds. The building reopened after a long renovation in February 2006, and its vast, white-walled galleries make an ideal backdrop for the museum's temporary exhibitions of 20th-century art. The permanent collection on the lower floor takes over where the Musée d'Orsay leaves off, chronologically speaking: among the earliest works are Fauvist paintings by Maurice Vlaminck and André Derain, followed by Pablo Picasso's early experiments in Cubism. Other highlights include works by Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Chagall, Matisse, Rothko, and Modigliani.
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