One of the things local miss in Paris is free art exhibitions and free museums. We live in one of the most interesting art hubs, with masterpieces scattered around the city and fantastic temporary exhibitions throughout it, but all of them are for a fee and as such they attract plenty of tourists and end up having a long queue. The end result is that many people that live in Paris seldom attend any exhibition or visit museums. I don’t remember when the last time I entered the Louvre museum was — or any other of the most important ones!

Well, there are still places of interest, and one of them is the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris (MAM). The MAM is hosted in the Palais de Tokyo, a quite interesting building with two discreet wings, both of them dedicated to contemporary art. While the “Palais de Tokyo” is a contemporary art centre, the MAM is really a museum and has some jewels in its permanent collection which one should not let pass, like some paintings by Modigliani, Picasso or Matisse.

The temporary exhibitions are accessible for a fee, but the permanent exhibitions are for free. And as it often happens, the fact that it is for free has as a consequence a fewer number of visitors, which makes this place a peaceful and enjoyable oasis in the city. I go there sometimes during my lunch break to enjoy a few moments.