Nikki

Next month I will be visiting Paris. My college aged daughter, who is interested in art, has said it might be fun to tour some galleries rather than go to the museums this time around. Any suggestions for neighborhoods where we can gallery hop?

I'm thinking of younger-skewing, more contemporary stuff as opposed to the kind of galleries I have seen in St. Germain. Bastille area? Oberkampf? Marais?

I'd love to hear all your specific ideas and experiences.

TimS

According to the Lonely Planet Paris Guidebook, the area just north of the Musee du Louvre might be a good place to start. There are passages couverts (covered shopping arcades) and galeries (walkways lined with shops). The Galerie de Valois on the east side of the Jardin du Palais Royal is described this way: "upmarket with posh galleries and designer shops." If you haven't seen it before, a museum that might fit your daughter's tastes is the Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris featuring, according to LP, "works representative of just about every major artistic movement of the 20th century: Fauvism, cubism, Dadaism, surrealism, the School of Paris, expressionism, abstractionism and so on. Artists with works on display include Matisse, Picasso, Braque, Soutine, Modigliani and Chagall."

Nikki

Thanks Tim. I don't think posh and upmarket is what I'm looking for though. I am thinking of more current works by young artists. I've been to the Palais Royal and I don't remember it being galleries, more like interesting little shops. That would be more interesting to me than to my daughter. The museum is a possibility though. In addition to that we thought it would be fun to stroll through an area looking at galleries.

jody

There's an artist's outdoor show on Saturdays across from the place de Bastille

TimS

I was curious enough to do a Google search and came up with these listings that might fit int the "younger-skewing, more contemporary stuff" category:
www.ohparis.com
www.10best.com/Paris/ShoppingArt_Galleries
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...31/ai_78738627

jsmith

There are a number of galleries around the Pompidou Center. I recall a few on Rue Saint Martin.

Intrepid1

There are any number of galleries all over St. Germain.

Travelnut

What about the artists' squats..? Are there any that are open for visitors?

Dave_in_Paris

I'm sorry I can't give you a specific answer since my preference is for older paintings, but in general you want to be looking in the 20th and 11th arrondissements. (In that order, I think.) You might try consulting the French yellow pages, pagejaunes.fr. Enter art for the search word and then Paris and the Zip codes, 75011 and 75020. (This would be a two-part operation, first for the 11th and again for the 20th.) Several caterories of art "merchandise" will appear on the next screen. Click on galleries, and the first listed will be those in the arrondissement whose Zip you typed in.

Of course, you won't get any detailed information that way. Just addresses. Hope someone else can give you more help.

Dave_in_Paris

Sorry, that's pagesjaunes.fr

Scarlett

Left Bank, off rue Jacob, rue de Seine being a good one. All fo the small galleries in that area are great with shows always going on.
Gallerie Maeght is good for a browse on rue de Bac.
You will find the contemporary alongside the more traditional in most places. Have fun!

Nikki

Thanks for all the suggestions. I really think the St. Germain galleries are more upscale than we're interested in.

I googled the art squat on rue de Rivoli to see if it was still around. I remember reading about it some time ago. It seems it was shut down by the city as a health hazard but is being renovated as a cultural center, the artists having been housed elsewhere temporarily.

Time Out Paris had good ideas for neighborhoods with various types of galleries, but my copy is five years old. I'm ordering the new one.

Dave in Paris, I think you're on the right track.

Looking for someone who has any information or experience with galleries in the 11th and 20th arrondissments, as well as the northern part of the Marais.

oakglen

I concur with rue du Seine and would add Grange Bateliere in the 9th. Here you will find galleries aimed at local collectors with mostly local artists. You can also start the Passages walk here as well (passages Verdeau & Jouffroy).

Travelnut

You can always take a quick stroll thru the "Marché de la Creation" on blvd Edgar Quinet on Sunday mornings, starting at 10am.
http://www.marchecreation.com/montpa...ndex.php?lg=fr

shellio

Rue Louise Weiss in the 13th arrondissement just south of the new Bibliothéque Nationale is known for contemporary, cutting-edge galleries, which sounds like what you're looking for. Try to find a book called "Art Sitesaris" by Sidra Stich, one of a series in which she lists contemporary art and architecture in a number of cities.

shellio

Oops, I don't know what combination of keys I hit to get that bizarre face, but it should be a P, for Paris.

Nikki

Thanks for the additional ideas. I'm going to look into Grange Bateliere. This is fun.

I have been to the Marche Creation on boulevard Edgar Quinet. While I enjoyed it and bought a lovely piece of pottery there that I am looking at right now, it's not quite what I had in mind for this outing. I believe the art show on Saturdays near Bastille is similar.

My outdated edition of Time Out Paris suggests various gallery neighborhoods, and I noticed the cluster around the rue Louise Weiss. I looked at the web sites for a couple of them and unfortunately they had shows ending the weekend we will arrive in Paris.

When I went to Amazon.com to order a new copy of Time Out, I needed one more book to qualify for free shipping. Now I have added Art Sites Paris, one of the few Paris guide books I neither own nor have heard of before. So thanks so much for that suggestion.

Christina

I would also suggest rue Louise Weiss in the 13th, I think that's the latest collection for contemporary, avant-garde stuff. There are about 10 galleries there (Chevaleret metro stop). They are closed Sun and Mon, I think.

Other than that, I think the best part of Paris for contemporary art galleries is the Marais, especially the 3rd arrondisement (like rue Vieile du Temple around the Picasso Museum).

donco

Hi Nikki, My husband and I got lost and ended up in Passy area-it looked very untouristy. Although we were trying to get unlost, it might be an area to look into for local flavor. Another area is Auteuil-we went to see art nouveau architecture but there were some galleries in that more residential area. Sorry I can't give you more details-maybe that's why we were lost! Enjoy!

donco

P.S.-Walking around Place des Vosges area, we also found many cute shops. Weren't looking for galleries but that area'd be good.