First off, I confess to a mortal sin in the religion of art. I hated the Louvre.
We were told that when the Louvre had its last major renovation it was planned to handle 2.5 million tourists per year -- and this year they're expecting 10 million. The place was mobbed, and even though our museum passes allowed us to walk right in instead of waiting on a l-o-n-g line, once we got inside it was chaos.
We first hiked to the cellar for a spin around the old 12th Century tower, the original structure in what became a vast royal palace. Unfortunately, somebody thought it would be a good idea to let Michelangelo Pistoletto use the beautiful old walls as backdrop for a huge neon installation that looked to me more like Vegas than Paris. Apparently the phrases say "love the differences" in many languages. Yuk.
Our tour organization had provided us with little MP3 players so we didn't have to get the museum audioguides. We fiddled with them for ten minutes before deciding they were worthless. The buttons were too small to see, let alone push. We could access only one of the 20 tracks on the device.
Then we read the brochures and realized that the content was apparently downloaded from the Art for Dummies publishing house.
Not off to a particularly good start, and I will refrain from describing the condition of the toilettes.
I am so sorry that this was your experience. I'm afraid that anywhere that can be designated a must see destination is to be avoided these days. I find that the most moving, enjoyable, inspirational moments come from unexpected encounters in small museums, back streets, and just wandering around.
ReplyDeleteI do hope that you had lots of good experiences, and look forward to reading your next posts.
you're absolutely right -- and we did have a great time, just not that day at that place. keep reading...
DeleteTwo weeks in Pais......what a dream trip. I'm only going to get four days there this fall as part of a tour, where I'm sure we'll go to all those tourist traps. You had the time to explore. I look forward to reading all about it.
ReplyDeleteHappy you are home safe and sound. I've been to the Louve twice. The first time in about 1987 in November. There halls were deserted! My sister and I walked around like it was our private collection. Things were a bit dreary but we loved it. Fast forward to a couple of years ago. New building and billions of people. OK, not billions but it felt like that. Whereas in 1987 I had walked right up to Mona Lisa and gave my greetings, we couldn't even get in the room where she is kept. Art certainly has gotten popular ;-)
ReplyDeletesometimes I wonder -- do the people who crowd into Mona Lisa's room actually get anything out of their viewing experience? or do they just take a photo to prove they've been there?
DeleteI think Mona Lisa is a lot like Kim Kardashian -- famous for being famous. So people want to be in her presence. Do they know what's good about the painting or even think about it as a painting?
Interesting comments. I was at a regional art exhibit recently--sparse, but steady attendance, but many of the "viewers" were busy talking, either on their phones or to each other, and barely glanced at the art. This venue was a bit off the beaten track, so they made an effort to get there, but I wasn't sure why--just to check it off their list? Or were they waiting for a piece to punch them in the face to get their attention?
DeleteAs a college student, I visited the Louvre (1975). My favorite time was standing under the map of the floor plan, waiting for some American to ask where they were, and then pointing to the star and saying "Vous et ici." So much fun. Wish I could go back and be that kid in the halls of the Louvre.
ReplyDeleteWe were in France from 5/25 - 6/8 and at the Louvre 5/27, we probably passed each other in the crowds. We took in the new Islamic wing/area which was wonderful and quite empty. Crowds were even worse at D'Orsay.
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