La Nuit des Musees-- Night at the Museum

Saturday May 19, 4000 cultural institutions in 40 countries across Europe are participating in the 8^th annual European Night at the Museums.  From 6 pm until past midnight, museums and cultural institutions will stay open in an "orgiastic" celebrations of art and culture.  Entry to permanent museum collections are free as well as access to many stage concerts, performances, and special exhibits.  Paris alone offer 179 museum/cultural offerings on this night ranging from classical, modern and contemporary art, archeology, decorative arts, science, technology, Jewish Heritage, military history, numismatic, and more.  Making a choice can be tough.  Here is a selection of special exhibits:

• Musee du Luxembourg - Exhibit Cima da Conegliano- Renaissance Venetian master (April 15-July 15)

• Orsay Museum- Degas and the Nude (March 13 to July 1)
• Galleries Nationales du Grand Palais

1. -- Helmut Newton Exhibit- more than 200 photographs of late Vogue photo journalist are on display till July 30.
2. -- Monumenta 2012 - French artist Daniel Buren has dressed up the large space of the Grand Palais in gigantic kaleidoscope of colors. (on display from May 10-June 4)

•  Musee Carnavalet-- Eugene Atget-- A photo exhibit of old Paris in the early 20th century (April 25- July 29)  
• Musee d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaisme (Jewish Museum) - Jews and Orientalism or the depiction by 19th century painters like Delacroix, Chasseriau, Gustave Moreau and others of Jews living in the Orient. (March 7-July 8)

Degas and the Nude- Orsay Museum

Helmut Newton- Grand Palais

Eugene Atget- Musee Carnavale

Cima de Conegliano
Musee du Luxembourg

Jews and Orientalism-
Musee d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaism