The Petit Palais (Musee de Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris) is a "little bit" of everything that is French. If one could see only one museum that touched on everything French, this is it. It's just re-opened in 2006 and it is a truly eclectic treasure. Classic romanticism? Realism? Ultra realism? Impressionism? Post-impressionism? It's all here. It's definitely the "one stop shop" for all that is French--or at least the closest thing to it. It's paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, gardens and much more from many different periods. And awesome spaces to boot. So go, enjoy. Don't be such a snob. There are surprising little gems here. Don't miss them!

On the other hand, since it IS such an eclectic mix, I won't even TRY to put anything in context or order. Let it be like the Palais/Musee itself...a surprise at every turn.

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