Going to Museums in Paris 去巴黎博物馆

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to listen to a presentation about conservation.

NEWSCASTER: Paris, it's the most popular tourist destination in the world. It's the capital of France, the capital of fashion, and it has a reputation for being one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world. And if you're an art lover, the City of Lights has dozens of art museums and galleries for you to explore. Three of these are a can't miss for your trip to Paris: The Louvre, The Musee D'Orsay, and the Centre Georges Pompidou. The Louvre.

NEWSCASTER1: It's the most visited museum in the world, receiving over eight million visitors a year.

NEW AGER: If you're interested in ancient art, the Louvre is a must see attraction for you.

NEWSCASTER: The museum's collection contains Egyptian antiquities; ancient Greek and Roman art; Islamic art; sculpture; and not to mention, an extensive display of over six thousand paintings. The building which houses the museum is the impressive Louvre Palace, which began as a fortress built in the twelfth century. It's a large, rectangular building, with two wings surrounding the square. In the center of this square is the famous Louvre Pyramid. This modern landmark is a glass pyramid in the central courtyard which serves as the museum's main entrance.

NEWSCASTER1: The Louvre is the place to see ancient art and masterpieces such as Da Vinci's famous portrait, 'The Mona Lisa'. But for art from a later period, and especially if you enjoy impressionist art, the Musee D'Orsay on the left bank of the river Seine is a museum that is sure to charm you. Home to many sculptures and impressionist paintings, the Musee D'Orsay has become one of Paris's most popular museums. The museum is housed in a former rail station. The Train Station Orsay was finished in 19 for the Paris World Exposition and was considered a masterpiece of industrial architecture.

NEWSCASTER2: But soon the platforms had become too short for the now much longer trains and as early as 1939, it was out of use as a train station. In 1978 the French president decided to use the station as a museum for nineteenth and twentieth century art. Famous works you will find in this museum are Cezanne's still life 'Apples and Oranges', Whistler's famous portrait 'Whistler's Mother', and Vincent van Gogh's magnificent oil on canvas 'Starry Night Over the Rhone'. And if you like Monet, there's an entire room dedicated to this famous French impressionist painter. And now, for the lover of modern and post modern art, there's the Centre Georges Pompidou, which is home to France's National Modern Art Museum.

NEWSCASTER3: When first constructed, the daring and strange architecture of Centre Georges Pompidou had Paris residents in a heated debate. Many were offended by the curious design of the building. The building's insides are situated on the outside and color coded: water pipes are green, air ducts are blue, electrics are yellow, and things like elevators and escalators are red. It's a crazy, colorful design, but over time it has become a local favorite. Many would say that the most appealing part of Centre Georges Pompidou isn't the modern art museum inside, which houses major works by Matisse, Modigliani, Marcel Duchamp, and Picasso, but rather the outside, with its crowds of eccentric street performers, such as mimes and jugglers.

NEWSCASTER4: There are hundreds of other museums and galleries for your art enjoyment in Paris, but if you're on a schedule, these are the famous three to see. From ancient art to modern art, you'll see it all when you visit the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, and Centre Georges Pompidou.