Has anyone been to see the Chagall exhibit in Paris at the Grand Palais? Do you know if advance reservations are required, and if so how to get them? Thanks for any info you can offer!

According to their web site
http://www.rmn.fr/galeriesnationalesdugrandpalais/

you need reservations from 10 am to 1 pm, but not after 1 pm. I'd guess crowds may be better in the am for that reason. You can get them at the ticket counters of major dept stores (Bon Marche, Printemps, Galeries Lafayette), FNAC, Virgin Megastore and the Tourist Office. You cannot get reservations day before or day you want to visit.

Hi china_cat - I purchased my ticket for Chagall on the fnac.fr website and picked it up at FNAC when I got to Paris the end of April. I really don't know if it is less crowded as I usually buy reserved tickets. I do believe there was a long line when I left at around 12:45. I also rented the audioguide for a few extra Euro. The exhibit was wonderful. Enjoy,
Mara

thanks Christina and Mara. This is just what I needed to know.

Are you able to bypass the line if you have reservations?

They have separate lines for reserved times by half-hour. I had a 10 am reservation and just about walked right in. The line for 10:30 was already forming. They look at the time on your ticket before letting you enter the line so you can't bypass.

Thanks, Mara. So, if you have a 10:00 reservation, you can walk right in at 10:00 AM.

I realize that you do not need a reservation after 1:00, but would it be faster to get a reservation anyway? Or, don't they offer a reservation after 1:00?

We went to see the exhibit last March and had no problem just going there and buying tickets. We go there around 4:30 and it seems that most of the crowd had already thinned out since they were hanging out in the benches outside.

If you're a Chagall fan you'd probably need an hour and a half at most to see everything leisurely so I suggest you time your arrival an hour and a half before closing.

We visited the Chagall exhibit last Thurday at around 04:30 PM.
No lines outside! We just walked in.

Everybody seemed to be on the Champs Elysees where you can admire old trains right now. Very interesting, too.

Inside the Grand Palais, it was a little crowded in some rooms, and above all, I found it very hot and sticky.
But still, the exhibit is wonderful. I'd count with 1.5 hour as mentioned by purplefish.

They close at 08:00 PM (ticket office at 07:15 PM).
So you could still go at around 06:00 PM or so.
Dont forget, it's closed on Tuesday and runs till June 23.