I always like finding smaller museums to explore in Paris. Here are two that have beautiful buildings as well as exhibits. On the recommendation of my friend Natalie, I visited the Musee Marmottan (marmottan.fr) in the 16th Arrondissement. One of its big collections, works by Claude Monet, was under renovation so it was not available to see, but we were able to visit a collection of Illuminated Manuscripts that was amazing. The nearest métro stop is La Muette and is on the number 9 subway.
Another one I love is the Musee Jacquemart-Andre at 158 Boulevard Haussman (musee-jacquemart-andre.com) which was the private home of Edouard Andre built in 1869.
You can see that the building itself is amazing. We have seen two great exhibits there: the first comparing two Venetian painters, Canaletto and Guardi in 2012; and the second a Caillebotte exhibit in 2011 that compared the two Caillebotte brothers, one of whom was a photographer and the other a painter.
Both exhibits were very well presented, but it’s worth noting that the exhibit area for temporary exhibits is small, so it’s best to go early or late in the day to avoid crowds. You can get there on either the 9 or 13 subway lines, at the stops Saint-Augustin Miromesnil or Saint-Philippe du Roule.
Be sure to check the listings for both museums before you go to see what special exhibits may be showing there. Enjoy!