Musee des Beaux Arts

On our recent trip to Normandy, we stopped for a few hours in the city of Rouen.  Rouen is where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake and it is home of the cathedral which Monet painted in several colors and in shifting light.

Much to Allen and Kyra's dismay (probably Kyle's too) I wanted to spend at least a little time in Rouen's Musee des Beaux Art (art museum).  According to our guide book it displayed works by several artists that are favorites of mine (Caravaggio in particular).

The last art museum I was in was the Louvre.  Its collection is of course spectacular, but so are the crowds.  Kyra and I spent much of our time there shuffling along trying to get close to the Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa.  It was difficult to move and certainly difficult to stop and appreciate the art.

The art museum in Rouen was a different story.  Here are a few photos of the crowds we battled to see the art work.  I think there were more guards in the gallery than visitors.  Our family of four was about 50% of the crowd for the time we were there.

Without crowds to fight it was easy to appreciate the art up close and from across the room.  We could move easily from one room to the next and linger or not as we chose.

On my own I would have stayed longer, but because it was so empty I could quickly move from piece to piece and see what I wanted to see thus making the visit only slightly painful for the kids.

I found the time spent in this museum far more enjoyable than the time I spent in the Louvre and would certainly recommend the museum to others.

Monet up close

Renoir