Tours at Musée Cognacq-Jay

Musée Cognacq-Jay: The 18th-century Good Life [ Book this tour ]

This tour is available June 4 to July 20, 2008.

1.5-hour tour.
Ernest Cognacq and Marie-Louise Jay made their fortune in a decidedly 20th-century way, by selling mass-produced goods in the very modern La Samaritaine department store. When it came to their own shopping tastes, however, the couple preferred the one-of-a-kind and the custom-made. Between 1900 and 1925, they amassed one of the finest private collections of French 18th-century painting, furniture, and objets d'art. On this tour you will see masterworks by Watteau, Nattier, Greuze, Boucher, Quentin de la Tour, Hubert Robert, and female artists like Elizabeth Vigee-Lebrun. You'll learn about 18th-century art in the domestic setting for which it was originally intended to be seen. Housed in the beautifully restored Hôtel Donon in the heart of the Marais, the Cognacq-Jay offers a splendid glimpse of the luxury of daily home life during the Ancien Régime.

Rates. €60 for individuals, or €70 per person for parties of two or more. Includes price of admission. €20 surcharge to guarantee that your party has a one-on-one seminar with the instructor, without other parties. (No seminar, however, will ever be larger than four people unless you specifically request it). [ Book this tour ]

Read a more detailed profile of the Cognacq-Jay from our "Les Musée Moins Connus" series.

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