The cultural riches of Paris have recently been enhanced by two important new museums and the renovation of the delightful Musée de Carnavalet, which occupies two magnificently restored 17th-century mansions in the Marais, including one that was once the home of the famous diarist Madame de Sévigné.

Bourse de Commerce - Pinault Collection

French luxury goods tycoon Franҫois-Henri Pinault, who owns the Kering Group, a conglomerate that includes such well-known brands as Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta and others, is one of the most important collectors of modern art in Europe today. He opened the Punta della Dogana - Pinault Collection museum in Venice to display some of his art 13 years ago, and his latest gallery is the new Bourse de Commerce - Pinault Collection, which occupies a circular building in Les Halles that was originally built in 1767 as France’s wheat exchange and then extensively remodeled a century later to become its central commodities exchange. This intriguing structure now contains a new interior gallery space by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Aside from the regularly changing exhibits of art from Pinault’s private collection, one of the most fascinating things about the museum is the allegorical mural of the world and its most valuable commodities in its dome. The painting is sort of a time capsule, illustrating the way Europeans viewed the rest of the world at the beginning of the 19th century.

Bourse de Commerce - Pinault Collection
2 Rue de Viarmes. Tel. (33) 1-55-04-60-60.