For groups

For visitors aged 18 and above, non-profit organizations, Friends of the Museum, businesses, employee benefit committees, schools and institutes for the disabled, health clinics and employment centres…

The activities offered by the museum include both guided visits and workshops. They allow visitors to explore the temporary exhibits and admire more than 7000 pieces from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs’ collection, spanning from the Middle Ages to the 21st Century, that are on view in the museum’s 8 permanent galleries. The themed visits on offer below represent a multitude of ways to discover and understand the works of art on view. Several transversal visits have been devised to encourage dialogue between historical periods, as well as between temporary exhibitions and the permanent collection. Guided tours are available in French, English, Italian and Spanish.

INFORMATION

For more information, please contact Visitor Services from Monday to Friday, 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm:
• by telephone: +33 1 44 55 57 66
• by email: reservation@madparis.fr

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Reserve Ahead
It is imperative for groups to reserve at least 30 days in advance of their desired visit.

Pre-booking form: Company groups
Download (54.4 KiB)
Pre-booking form: Association groups
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Pre-booking form: Student groups
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Please send your reservation form, duly filled out, to reservation@madparis.fr.

For self-guided groups, and groups with their own guide (i.e. not hired via the Arts Décoratifs museums) please visit the Self-Guided Groups page.

Program

We offer different activities to discover the museum’s collections of decorative arts, industrial design, fashion, advertising and graphic design. While all the activities provide direct contact with the pieces on display, each provides its own unique approach.

Basic guided tour – 1h30
In-depth guided tour – 2h
From gallery to gallery, these tours lead visitors through both the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. A seasoned guide describes, analyses, and contextualises the works on display to provide greater knowledge of a particular period, or develop a particular theme.

Guided Explorations – 1h30
Our guided explorations offer an unusual way in which to discover the permanent collections and temporary exhibitions. With tools and materials in hand, stories to listen to, and a notebook in which to make drawings, each exploration includes pedogeological tools that add a sensorial experience to the guided tour.

Theatrical Visits – 1h30
The In Cauda theatre company offers theatrical visits, performing portraits of an historical figure, amongst the museum’s collections.

The Permanent Collection

THE MUSÉE DES ARTS DÉCORATIFS

DISCOVERING THE MUSEUM

Discovering the Musée des Arts Décoratifs
This tour presents the principal period rooms (reconstructions of furnished rooms decorated in a particular historical style,) as well as a selection of emblematic pieces from the permanent collections, leading visitors to discover the French way of life from the Middle Ages through the 20th Century.
Guided Tour

A History of Jewellery from the 18th Century to Today
An essential element of a person’s attire, jewellery is a true marker of its historical period. This tour revisits the history of jewellery, combining a chronological approach with an understanding of technical evolutions in jewellery-making. Rings, bracelets, brooches… the Jewellery Gallery offers an exceptional panorama of historical and contemporary pieces.
Guided Tour

Treasures from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs
If the Musée des Arts Décoratifs is the museum of the Object, this tour reveals its finest masterpieces. From the Middle Ages to the present day, the visit is punctuated by the discovery of exceptional pieces. Rivaling each other in technical prowess and inventiveness, they illustrate the skills of artists and craftsmen, as well as the museum’s motto: “The beautiful in the useful”!
Guided Tour

French Savoir-Faire and Luxury
Present throughout history in a variety of forms, the notion of luxury is incarnated in a diverse range of periods and places. In the West, the notion of luxury is indistinguishable from notions of rarity, preciousness, and excellence. It is at the centre of this tour that spans from the Middle Ages through the 20Th Century.
Guided Tour

Artist, Artisan, Designer
Artisans, decorators, designers, and other decorative artists… the men and women who created the pieces on display in the museum’s collection often wore several hats at once. From the Middle Ages to the present day, this tour retraces the entire history of the decorative arts, and the museum that honors them, through the prism of the organization and evolution of the trades.
Guided Tour

In the Company of the Marquise Arconati Visconti
Follow the story of the Marquise Arconati Visconti, a benefactor of the arts with extraordinary liberty and an exceptional destiny. In this theatrical tour, you will discover the magnificent pieces she donated to the museum: paintings, sculptures, furniture, objets d’art, as well as jewellery and ceramics. This prestigious collection illustrates the Marquise’s great passion for the decorative arts from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and 18th and 19th Centuries, as well as her interest in Asian and Islamic arts.
Dramatized guided tour

Four themes are proposed to discover the permanent collections of the museum:

  • A PERIOD, A WAY OF LIFE
  • SHAPES AND USES
  • MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES
  • INTERIOR DESIGN AND SOURCES OF INSPIRATION

Activities are offered around each of these themes.

A PERIOD, A WAY OF LIFE
Discover how different objects reflect the cultural codes and way of life of a given historical period.

Château Living, From the Middle Ages to the 17th Century
Many of the pieces in the permanent collection testify to the evolution of society between the Middle Ages and the 17th Century. Tapestries, furniture, table settings, and other objects become increasingly varied and refined in response to an increasing desire for luxury and focus on outward appearances. Visitors will also learn how the discovery of Antiquity and the influence of Italy let to a rebirth of classicism in the “Grand Siècle.”
Guided Tour

Salon Living, the 18th Century
Following the great pomp of Louis the 14th’s reign, there was a renewed taste for intimate comfort. In the 18th Century, the French art de vivre became a model imitated throughout Europe. This tour presents a wide diversity of furnishings that illustrate the period’s refined taste in objects and décor. Spanning from the Regency period through reign of Louis the 16th, the guide evokes the Enlightenment and the evolution in taste: from “rocaille” to a return to Antiquity for inspiration, from chinoiserie to Anlgo-mania.
Guided Tour

At the Time of Expositions Universelles, the 19th Century
From the grandiosity of Napoleon’s empire, to the eclectic historicism of a society inspired by the past and by the world at large, this tour presents the evolution in taste over the course of a century particularly rich in political, industrial, social and aesthetic revolutions. By looking at masterpieces from the Universal Exhibitions, the visit also shows how artisans tirelessly sought to reinvent themselves in the face of industrialization.
Guided Tour

Toward Modernity: Art Nouveau
From the late 19th Century to the Belle Epoque, this tour proposes to rediscover the museum’s Art Nouveau collection. The Art Nouveau movement reunited all the decorative arts in its quest for a “total art” that sought inspiration in movement, nature, and Japanese culture. From Émile Gallé to Hector Guimard, from Louis Majorelle to Eugène Graset, the aesthetic experience of this tour is also an invitation to identify the beginnings of modernity.
Guided Tour

Hector Guimard’s Art Nouveau
The museum is initiating a series of visits dedicated to emblematic designers of the Decorative Arts, and to celebrate the year of the famous designer, we’re starting with Hector Guimard. Come and discover or rediscover one of the most representative artists of the Art Nouveau period, as well as one of the most creative and prolific. An architect, decorator and furniture designer, he drew his inspiration from the curves of nature, which invaded objects and settings in homes and cities alike.
Guided Tour

Adventures in Industrial Design: the 20th and 21st Centuries
Spanning from the 1940s to the present, this tour is an invitation to discover the precursors of industrial design (Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouvé…) as well as contemporary artists such as Benjamin Grandorge, Alvaro Catalan de Ocon, Fanette Mellier…From post-war concerns to our current preoccupation with tech and the environment, this tour retraces the great social questions of the second half of the 20th Century and the first half of the 21st.
Guided Tour

FORM AND FUNCTION
These tours examine the function of pieces in the collection and retrace the evolution of how we’ve used them over the centuries.

Sitting
On this tour, visitors discover the incredible diversity of seats that have been invented over the course of human history. To relax, work, or talk, there are a thousand and one ways to sit down. Benches, chairs, beanbags and sofas are just a few of the technical solutions furniture makers and designers have proposed to bring us greater comfort as our ways of living and clothing choices continue to evolve.
Guided Tour

Eating
Emblematic both to the museum’s collections and French culture, the art of dressing the table is at the centre of this tour, which follows the evolution of habits and mores surrounding how we eat. From glasses to forks, services to centrepieces, the wide variety of shapes, colours and patterns of the pieces on display are discussed, shining light on both their functionality and their fabrication.
Guided Tour

Lighting
From candles to electricity this chronological tour presents the history of light fixtures over the centuries. Candelabras, chandeliers, wall sconces… The inventiveness of designers seeking to light the home is discussed in connection with technical evolutions and the properties of the materials used in lighting fixtures. Direct or shaded? The question of how we use light is discussed in association with more general principles of interior design.
Guided Tour

MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES
Wood, glass, earth, metal, and stone. Develop a deeper understanding of the collections by discovering the materials and the techniques, tools and trades, past and present, that shaped them.

Working with Wood: Joiners and Cabinet Makers
Solid, painted, sculpted, or gilded, wood is a material that is particularly present in the museum’s collections. It is the central element of the furniture and design elements shown on this tour that spans from the Middle Ages to the Art Nouveau period. Samples and tools complement the visit, bringing a greater understanding of the gilders and joiners’ trades.
Guided Exploration

Working with Glass: Glassmakers
True magicians, glassmakers transform sand into glass using the alchemy of air and fire. Precious Murano glass, romantic opaline, recent vases made from molten glass, this itinerary invites the visitor to retrace the history of glass. It reveals both the great technical prowess of glass artisans and the creativity of contemporary artists.
Guided Exploration

Working with Metal: Silversmiths and Jewellers
Rings, bracelets, and necklaces take shape in the hands of the jeweller, a trade that demands infinite finesse, and endless creativity as it requires working with precious metals and other materials. Silver and goldsmiths are artists who work with gold, silver and enamel. Jewellery and other objects are engraved, chiselled, stamped... This itinerary through the museum’s Jewellery Gallery uncovers their secrets.
Guided Exploration

Working with Earth: Ceramicists
Since the beginning of time, ceramicists have mastered the art of transforming earth into objects. Stoneware, earthenware, soft and hard-paste porcelain, barbotine… this itinerary leads the visitor through the extraordinary variety of ceramic shapes and techniques that were born between the 15th and 21st Centuries.
Guided Exploration

Working with Stone: Marblers
Since Antiquity, marble has been used in sculpture and architecture, and the material is ubiquitous in the collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Extremely resistant, marble is a choice material for floors and walls, but also for protecting furniture. This itinerary leads the visitor on a journey from the Renaissance to the present day, in which the incredible diversity of marble, and its surprising range of colours, is on full display.
Guided Exploration

SOURCES OF INSPIRATION
Decode the vocabulary and the diverse sources of inspiration to enrich your understanding of a period, theme, or artistic movement.

Geometry and the Decorative Arts
This tour shows the major role geometry has played in the history of the decorative arts. Whether inspired by principles of Classical architecture, or in search of a certain simplicity, elementary shapes are found in objects from the 16th Century to the present day. The visit focuses on the patterns, shapes, and geometric lines that give shape to both objects and entire styles of interior design.
Guided Tour

Nature and the Decorative Arts
Rose, iris, acanthus, and palm. Flowers and leaves are found throughout the museum’s collections. An untiring source of inspiration for artists, nature offers a marvellous repertory of shapes and colours that are renewed and updated in each successive era. Represented naturalistically, or highly stylized, sculpted, or as an element of interior design, the natural world is the focus of this tour that leads visitors from the Middle Ages to the Art Nouveau period.
Guided Tour

Go over the wall, a History of Decor
Covered in wood, sculpted, gilded, decorated with wallpaper or fabric, the walls of our living spaces are emblematic of the periods represented at the museum, from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century. They are also an invitation to transport us elsewhere. Like windows that open to the exterior, exotic patterns carved into wood, and flowered or panoramic wallpaper, illustrated with historical scenes, invite us to travel while never leaving home.
Guided Tour

Red
Blood, fire, danger, love, glory, beauty… The colour red is rich in significance and symbolism. It is also the first colour that human beings created, mastered, and could reproduce in different tones. This guided tour is an invitation to discover the flamboyant history of the colour red through a presentation of diverse objects dating from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century.
Guided Tour

Blue
Sky blue, royal blue, navy blue… Today blue is Europeans’ favourite colour. Though the secret to making indigo was mastered in the neolithic period, it wasn’t until the 12th Century that blue became widely used as a colour. What changed? This tour proposes to follow a trail of clues to uncover the sumptuous history of the use of blue in the decorative arts.
Guided Tour

Black
It symbolizes the dark side, mourning, but also elegance and modernity. Black expresses strong feelings and stark contrast. It is commonly used in opposition to white, and both “colours” share the status of not being considered a colour at all. Since when? Why? And today? From the Middle Ages to the present day, this tour follows the trail of black across the museum’s collections.
Guided Tour


MUSÉE NISSIM DE CAMONDO The Musée Nissim de Camondo is closed for works and will reopen at the beginning of 2026.

Exhibitions

PARCOURS MODE, DESIGN, BIJOUX / A fashion, design, and jewellry itinerary
From 3 April to 17 November 2024 at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs

Covering the entirety of the museum’s modern and contemporary collections, this presentation integrates, for the very first time, a selection of fashion and jewellery pieces: thirty couture and prêt-à-porter articles, and fifty accessories and pieces of jewellery are presented in resonance with masterpieces of industrial design from the 20th Century to the present.

Guided Tour
From the 1940s to the present, the guide will lead visitors on an itinerary where fashion dialogues with jewellery and industrial design. The choice of pieces illustrates a playful dialogue between shapes, techniques, and ideas. The tour is a great way to sharpen the eye and see contemporary creativity in a new light!

LA NAISSANCE DES GRANDS MAGASINS. MODE, DESIGN, JOUET, PUBLICITÉ, 1852-1925 / The birth of the department store. fashion, industrial design, toys, and advertising, 1852-1925
From 10 April to 13 October 2024 at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs

This exhibition focuses on the birth of the department store in the historical, political, and social context of the Second Empire, and the stores’ development, leading to the “Golden Age of the Department Store,” as witnessed by the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. Pulling from the museum’s collections of advertising, fashion, toys, and institutional decorative arts – which represent more than 80% of the works on show –the exhibition unveils numerous commercial innovations as well as the industry’s first steps toward democratizing fashion. The exhibition aims to show that above and beyond their commercial goals, the department stores were a product of the industrial revolution, the urban development undertaken by Baron Haussmann, and the ascension of the bourgeoisie and were essential to the construction of the image of the “Parisienne.”

Guided tour
Beginning with the birth of the department store in the Second Empire and ending with its consecration at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, the tour reveals the economic transformations and social mutations that were sweeping through French society of the day. From Bon Marché to Samaritaine, from Printemps to Galeries Lafayette, the tour is also an invitation to dive into the 19th Century Paris of Emile Zola’s famous novel, Au Bonheur des Dames.

PRIVATE LIVES: FROM THE BEDROOM TO SOCIAL MEDIA
from 15 October 2024 to 30 March 2025

From October 15, 2024 to March 30, 2025, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs takes you on a fascinating journey into the heart of our inner sanctum through a history of privacy, from the 18th century to the present day. 470 works, including paintings and photographs, as well as decorative art objects, reveal how the private sphere has evolved. From the bedroom as seen by Henri Cartier-Bresson or Nan Goldin and 19th-century wrought-iron beds to the “lit-clos” of the Bouroullec brothers’, from the commode chair to the urinal for women, from waterless hygiene products to the bathroom, from aristocratic beauty to mass consumption, from licentious books to sex toys, from the Walkman to social networks and influence, through the tools of surveillance and protection, the exhibition shows how privacy came to be, and the profound changes it has undergone since then. The increasingly blurred and porous boundaries between private and public have sparked much debates.

Guided tour
Presented in the museum’s nave, the exhibition offers an original reflection on how objects reflect lifestyles and changes in society. From bedrooms and beds, to objects for bathing and convenience, beauty, rest and togetherness, the exhibition shows how intimacy has evolved over the centuries. In an age of social networking and video surveillance, it also questions our relationship with ourselves and with others. From room to room, let yourself be guided by the lecturer, who will help you discover the richness of the exhibition.

FASHION IN THE MAKING : PHOTOGRAPHS OF 1920s AND 1930s DESIGNS
from 6 November 2024 to 26 January 2025

Le Musée des Arts Décoratifs offers, on the occasion of Paris Photo, presents “La mode en modèles. Photographies des années 1920-1930 “. This exhibition presents a selection from the museum’s collection of photographic deposits of fashion models. More than 120 photographs, drawings, films, and haute couture dresses provide an overview of Parisian fashion creation during the Roaring Twenties, from 1917 to 1939 : from Jeanne Lanvin to Jean Patou and Marcel Rochas, Madeleine Vionnet, Jeanne Paquin, and Elsa Schiaparelli.

Guided tour The presentation of photographs intended to legally protect fashion designers’ models offers visitors a chance to explore an unpopular aspect of photography’s role in fashion history. It also provides an opportunity to admire the designs and photographs of renowned figures in fashion from the 1920s and 1930s

CHRISTOFLE, A BRILLIANT STORY
from 14 November 2024 to 20 April 2025

From November 13, 2024 to April 20, 2025, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs will celebrate the creations and extraordinary expertise of the renowned silversmith Maison Christofle by organizing a major exhibition dedicated to this French company, which boasts nearly two hundred years of history. From the 1830s to the present day, this line of talented goldsmiths, begun by Charles Christofle (1805-1863) and Henri Bouilhet (1830-1910), has transformed the lines and decorations of silverware, allowing it to become a feature of daily life. In collaboration with leading artists and fashion designers – such as Gio Ponti, Andrée Putman, Karl Lagerfeld and Pharrell Williams –, Christofle is an artistic laboratory that revolutionizes traditional silver smithery by reinventing its uses and enhancing it with new colors and decorations.

Guided tour The tour guide takes visitors behind the scenes of Christofle’s creations. From cutlery to monumental pieces, from silver and gold to enamels and patinas, the secrets of the workshop and the craftsmen’s skills of excellence are revealed. The presentation of tables set in prestigious locations also highlights Christofle’s role as an ambassador for French luxury and the art of living, both in France and abroad.

MY TEDDY BEAR
from 4 December 2024 to 22 June 2025

The undisputed king of toys, the teddy bear is invited to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs to tell its incredible story. Born at the very beginning of the 20th century, the teddy bear quickly established itself in the hearts of children, dethroning toys whose existence dates back to antiquity, such as dolls and animals on wheels. Since then, it has become an almost universal symbol of childhood, as well as of tenderness and gentleness. A scenographic tour, explanatory labels and a drawing book accompany children on their visit to this exhibition.

Guided tour How the bear, once king of animals, revered for his strength and feared for his ferocity, was transformed over the centuries into the most popular of toys. This is what you’ll discover on this tour, which invites you to rediscover a part of your childhood...

Fees and Conditions

TARIFS

GUIDED TOURS FOR ADULT GROUPS

Guided tour in French (1h30) 130 €
Guided tour in another language (1h30) 145 €
Guided tour in French (2h) 150 €
Guided tour in another language (2h) 170 €

In addition to the group fee above, each participant will be charged a reduced entrance fee:
• 10 € for the Musée des Arts Décoratifs
• 9 € for the musée Nissim de Camondo

GUIDED EXPLORATIONS FOR ADULT GROUPS

Guided Exploration in French (1h30) 160 €
Guided Exploration in another language (1h30) 175 €

In addition to the group fee above, each participant will be charged a reduced entrance fee:
• 10 € for the Musée des Arts Décoratifs
• 9 € for the musée Nissim de Camondo

THEATRICAL VISITS FOR ADULT GROUPS

Guided theatrical tour in French (1h30) 190 €
Guided theatrical tour (1h30) weekend 220 €
Guided theatrical tour English (1h30) 270 €
Guided theatrical tour English (1h30) weekend 300 €

In addition to the group fee above, each participant will be charged a reduced entrance fee:
• 10 € for the Musée des Arts Décoratifs
• 9 € for the musée Nissim de Camondo

GUIDED VISITS FOR SOCIAL AND CULTURAL GROUPS

Free entry to the museum upon presentation of proper identification.

Guided tour / exploration in French (1h) 65 €
Guided tour / exploration in another language (1h) 75 €
Guided tour / exploration in French (1h30) 95 €
Guided tour / exploration in another language (1h30) 110 €
Guided tour / exploration in French (2h) 125 €
Guided tour /exploration in another language (2h) 140 €

GUIDED TOURS FOR GROUPS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Free entry to the museum upon presentation of proper identification.

Guided tour / exploration in French (1h30) 45 €

CONDITIONS

• Reservations are obligatory for all groups.
• All reservations must be confirmed by email.
• Groups must reserve between 6 months and 30 days in advance of their desired visit date.
• Groups may cancel up to 15 days before their scheduled visit for full reimbursement.
PLEASE NOTE: reservations that are not cancelled 15 days before the scheduled visit are due in their entirety.

MAXIMUM GROUP SIZE

Musée des Arts Décoratifs :
Guided Tour
• 20 people maximum (including the organiser)

Theatrical Tour
• 15 people maximum (including the organiser)

Musée Nissim de Camondo :
Guided Tour
• 20 people maximum (including the organiser)

Theatrical Tour
• 15 people maximum (including the organiser)

HOURS

In order to respect security measures that are in place to protect visitors and the art, as well as to ensure that visitors enjoy the museum in a maximum of comfort, we welcome groups:

At the Musée des Arts Décoratifs:
• From Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:45 am to 4:30 pm
• Thursday until 7 pm (for evening viewing of temporary exhibitions)
• Sunday from 11am to 1pm

At the Musée Nissim de Camondo :
• From Wednesday to Saturday, from 10 am to 4 pm
• Sunday from 10 am to 1pm

Audio Guides

Adult groups may receive complementary audio guides, available on level 3 for visits to the permanent collections and level -1 for visits to the temporary exhibitions. The person responsible for the group will need to leave an identity card in exchange for the audio guides which will be returned when the audio guides have been brought back. The person responsible for the group will be held responsible for reimbursing damaged or missing equipment.

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