A Tour of Paris Through 10 Masterpieces

If you have ever visited Paris, you know that no photograph or story can match the experience of seeing it in person, but works of art give us the chance to travel through time and glimpse its most famous places, their visitors, and the realities of their lives hundreds of years ago. Some of these works were painted by native Parisians, others by foreign visitors capturing their first impressions. We promise there will be plenty for the eye to feast on.

1. The Champs-Élysées

Jean-Georges Béraud, "Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées", 1882-1886. Pinterest

Who hasn't heard of the legendary Champs-Élysées, home to all the most famous shops? The famous avenue ends at the Arc de Triomphe, which, inspired by Roman triumphal arches, was built to commemorate the victories of Napoleon Bonaparte. The French artist Jean-Georges Béraud (1848-1935) loved painting elegant Parisians strolling through the city.

2. The Tuileries Garden

Édouard Manet, "Music in the Tuileries Gardens", 1860-1861, Wikimedia Commons

The Tuileries is a vast park facing the Louvre. Neither it nor the painting's author likely needs an introduction. Édouard Manet (1832-1883) is renowned as a painter who shocked the public and inspired entire generations of modernists. Although this painting, depicting Parisians enjoying an open-air concert, is more modest in scale, it is a fine example of the artist's scenes of city life. Look closely at the crowd and you will spot Charles Baudelaire and other modernists.

3. Quai Voltaire

Childe Hassam, "April, Quai Voltaire", Paris, 1897, Wikimedia Commons

Quai Voltaire is famous the world over for its second-hand booksellers' stalls, which line the riverbank in this painting. Its author, Childe Hassam, was an American Impressionist celebrated for his views of New York and Paris.

4. The Pont Neuf

Johan Barthold Jongkind, "Fire on the Pont Neuf", 1853, Wikimedia Commons

The Pont Neuf is in fact one of the oldest bridges linking the left and right banks of the Seine, and it took its name — meaning "New Bridge" — from when it was built, at the end of the 16th century. In the painting the bridge is ablaze, yet its easily recognisable arches are still clearly visible. The artist, Johan Barthold Jongkind (1819-1891), was a Dutchman who spent most of his career in France. His painting style was shaped both by 17th-century Dutch landscape painting and by Impressionism, and his works most often depict French landscapes and the landmarks of Paris.

5. Boulevard Malesherbes

Jean-François Raffaëlli, "Boulevard Malesherbes, Paris", 1890, Wikiart

Jean-François Raffaëlli (1850-1924) was a French painter who worked in a variety of styles and became known for realist works depicting the Parisian working class, though Impressionism was not foreign to him either — as this painting above beautifully demonstrates. People, buildings, and trees dissolve and merge into a seamless haze, faintly recalling Claude Monet's Rouen Cathedral series. The boulevard itself was named in honour of a French statesman who was guillotined during the French Revolution. Nearby stands its famous neighbour — Boulevard Haussmann.

6. Boulevard Haussmann

Gustave Caillebotte, "Boulevard Haussmann, Snow Effect", 1880-1881, Wikimedia Commons

Boulevard Haussmann is famous for its shops, but it was named in honour of Georges-Eugène Haussmann (1809-1891), the city planner who shaped modern Paris. Working under Napoleon III, he completely rebuilt the old city, demolishing buildings, widening streets, and modernising the infrastructure, while also championing neoclassical architecture. The painting's author, Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894), was one of the leading French Impressionists.

7. The Palais Garnier

Frank Myers Boggs, "The Paris Opera House", Pinterest.

This opulent opera house was built in the mid-19th century and named in honour of its architect, Charles Garnier. It is a superb example of Beaux-Arts architecture, blending classical, Renaissance, and Baroque elements. Its author, born in Ohio, in the United States, arrived in France at the age of 21 and saw this building barely a year after it opened. It is easy to imagine how the young American must have marvelled at such lavish French architecture.

8. Place Pigalle

Giovanni Boldini, "Omnibus at Place Pigalle, Paris", Wikimedia Commons

This square lies in Montmartre, the district of painters and writers, and the painting's author, Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931), was an Italian society painter who achieved great popularity in France. In fact, this spot must have been familiar to him — he likely passed through it often on his way to colleagues' studios and the cafés where the artists of the day gathered. Though the elegant ladies and gentlemen he painted probably favoured the city's more fashionable districts.

9. The Luxembourg Gardens

Helena Sturtevant, "Children in the Luxembourg Gardens, Paris", 1914, Wikimedia Commons

The Luxembourg Gardens were founded in 1610 and have been a favourite Parisian gathering place for centuries. They boast magnificent flowerbeds, ancient trees, fountains, ponds, and an extensive sculpture garden. In the background of the painting stands the Luxembourg Palace, seat of the French Senate. The painting's author, Helena Sturtevant (1872-1946), was an American landscape painter who trained in Boston and Paris and achieved great success on both sides of the Atlantic. This painting is one of her most celebrated works.

10. The Louvre

James Tissot, "The Louvre (Foreign Visitors at the Louvre)", 1879-1880, Wikimedia Commons

Undoubtedly one of the most famous landmarks in Paris. A mighty fortress once stood on this site in the 12th century, but the building we see today only rose in the 16th century, and it became a museum under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte. People from all over the world flock here to admire its exceptional art collection. Just such tourists can be seen in this painting by James Tissot. Its author was a French Realist, and so his elegantly dressed figures are instantly recognisable. Incidentally, if you ever come across a painting of a young woman in a full, pleated gown, it is very likely another work by the same Tissot.