Your Trip to Paris: The Complete Guide SEE FULL GUIDE prev next Your Trip to Paris: The Complete Guide Weather & Climate The Airports of Paris The Best Paris Hotels Neighborhoods to Know Driving in Paris Paris Public Transportation Tipping in Paris Day Trips From Paris Best Paris Tours Top Things to Do Free Things to Do Things to Do With Kids Best Paris Parks & Gardens Best Museums in Paris Cabaret in Paris Live Music in Paris Shopping in Paris Bastille Day in Paris French Dishes to Try in Paris The Best Restaurants in Paris Where to Eat With Kids Nightlife in Paris Craft Beer Bars in Paris Your Trip to Paris: The Complete Guide close Overview Europe France Top Contemporary Art Museums in Paris By Courtney Traub Courtney Traub Facebook Twitter Courtney Traub has covered Paris and other European destinations for TripSavvy since 2006. She is co-author of the 2012 Michelin Green Guide to Northern France & the Paris Region. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Updated on 06/26/19 TripSavvy / Leopoldine Bauer Considered more a bastion of classicism and epicenter for commercial deals than a hotbed of artistic experimentation, you could say that Paris has lost the status it enjoyed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as the modern art world's teeming center. Nonetheless, contemporary art museums and centers in Paris boast some of the world's richest and most impressive permanent collections, and highly popular temporary exhibitions year-round highlight mediums from painting, sculpture, and photography to film, video and multimedia art. If you're interested in trends in contemporary creation, don't miss out on exploring the collections and current shows at these major institutions and up-and-coming new spaces 01 of 07 The NMMA at the Centre Pompidou TripSavvy / Taylor McIntyre The NMMA (National Museum of Modern Art) simply cannot be missed if you wish to gain perspective on overarching trends in modern art from the late nineteenth century to the present day. Its permanent collection is regularly refreshed, curated with all audiences in mind, and is often arranged in a thematic way, highlighting a particular movement or aspect of artistic creation. Amble around the vast, quirkily designed Centre Pompidou and enjoy rooftop views of Paris after visiting the collection or enjoying one of the center's top-notch temporary exhibits. Continue to 2 of 7 below. 02 of 07 Modern Art Museum of the City of Paris TripSavvy / Taylor McIntyre Situated in the 16th arrondissement in close reach of Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower, the Modern Art Museum of the City of Paris is the city's municipally owned center for contemporary arts, holding an impressive permanent collection as well as hosting temporary exhibitions. It opened its doors in the early 1960s to accommodate new acquisitions by the city, and is part of the larger space called the "Palais de Tokyo". The eastern wing of the building houses the contemporary exhibition space opened in 2002 and also known, confusingly enough, as the Palais de Tokyo (read more on next page). Continue to 3 of 7 below. 03 of 07 Palais de Tokyo TripSavvy / Taylor McIntyre Just adjacent to the Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris is the Palais de Tokyo, arguably the reigning center for the avant-garde in the Parisian arts scene. Opened to the public in 2002, the Palais de Tokyo's large, airy exhibition spaces and adjoining trendy cafe-restaurant are a favorite haunt of art students and hipsters, and their exhibition program tends toward the idiosyncratic and abstract. Continue to 4 of 7 below. 04 of 07 Cartier Foundation TripSavvy / Leopoldine Bauer The Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art is not particularly well-known to tourists but is a backbone in the city's contemporary arts scene. Located near Montparnasse, the "foundation" actively supports and commissions works from up-and-coming artists, promoting artistic vibrancy and innovation, and hosts several exciting thematic exhibits every year. The gardens out back are lush and gorgeous, too. Continue to 5 of 7 below. 05 of 07 Maison Européenne de la Photographie Mbzt/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0 The Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris is perhaps the city's leading center showcasing trends in contemporary photography. Situated in the trendy Marais district, the center hosts an ongoing stream of shows highlighting the work of prominent or promising new lenses, and its retrospectives on distinctive movements in photo history are second to none. Continue to 6 of 7 below. 06 of 07 Vuitton Foundation: A Bold New Venture Iwan Baan for Fondation Louis Vuitton With breathtaking architecture from Frank Gehry, the Fondation Vuitton, inaugurated in 2014, seeks to make its mark on the Parisian contemporary arts scene. Continue to 7 of 7 below. 07 of 07 Le Cent-Quatre TripSavvy / Leopoldine Bauer Designed as a full-fledged cultural center serving northern Paris and its young urban professionals and artists, "Le Cent-Quatre" is one of the city's newest additions to the contemporary arts scene. Galleries, a restaurant, dance classes, musical performances, and other eclectic activities crowd the program. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit Share Pin Email