From commentaries to fiction, the Paris museums’ podcasts are reaching a wider and wider audience. A great opportunity to learn more about art, history or biodiversity, or even to follow a guided tour from the comfort of your living room. Whatever the format, they’ll boost your cultural capital – so reach for those earphones!
© Amélie Dupont Architecte Renzo Piano et Richard Rogers
Each month, the Pompidou Centre explores a major work from its collection in ‘Un podcast, une œuvre’ (1 podcast 1 artwork). Taking the form of interviews, talks or visits to the archives, the podcasts are grouped under different headings, such as ‘Art and therapy’, ‘Art and consumption’ or ‘Art and feminism’.
And to dig deeper into the world of the artists that feature in its permanent collection, the Pompidou Centre proposes a new range of audio guides that provide a detailed commentary on each work. In a little over ten minutes at a time, you’ll end up knowing all there is to know about the classic works of modern and contemporary art.
© OTCP David Paul Carr
This is a real gold mine! The YouTube page of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France features a vast selection of podcasts and short videos. Discover the secrets behind a collection of early world maps and listen to researchers discussing their specialist subjects and latest work. Learn all about the world of Fantasy, the works of J R R Tolkien, lift the curtain on the theatre or discover the lives of the pioneers of feminism in France. A rich programme that includes hour-long lectures as well as short ‘key facts’ videos.
© Bertrand Marc
The Grand Palais hides many secrets! And you can discover them all in a series of five podcasts ‘L'Echo du Grand Palais’. Discover a century of history, from the inauguration of the iconic Parisian building in 1900, through the highlights of its history to its planned restoration until 2025.
But also... Michael Jackson, Fous de Lune, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, Hergé... many of the exhibitions at the Grand Palais can be found in the form of conferences, round tables and meetings with researchers and historians to deepen your knowledge of art. Complete podcasts for everyone.
© DR via Pxhere
For fans of Leonardo da Vinci who want to learn more about his work, the Louvre is launching a series of five podcasts – available on Deezer, Soundcloud, Spotify or Apple Podcasts – entitled ‘Quand la peinture raconte Léonard’ (Leonardo recounted by his painting). Each episode lasts about ten minutes and reveals the secrets behind the masterpieces of the Renaissance genius that feature in the Louvre’s collection. And that’s not all: here you’ll also find the podcast series ‘Les Enquêtes du Louvre’ (stories of crime and art at the Louvre).
© Fotolia Crobard
There’s something for history buffs too: the Musée de l’Armée-Invalides is producing five podcasts for each of its exhibitions. Historians and researchers delve into the lesser-known aspects of some key historical figures and events. Napoleon in Saint Helena, Secret Wars, Churchill and De Gaulle, Musketeers, France and Germany 1870-71, and more – around ten exhibitions to visit virtually.
© Joe DeSousa via Flickr
Scientists at the Natural History Museum are speaking out to warn of the risks of ecological collapse. ‘Pour que la nature vive’ (so that nature can live) is a 12-episode series of audio podcasts aiming to help us better understand the world around us, the fragility of nature, and the wealth of biodiversity.
© Joe DeSousa via Flickr
The Musée d'Orsay has launched its ‘Promenades Imaginaires’ podcasts, which will be appreciated by adults and children alike! Travel back in time to the nineteenth century to discover the secrets behind the paintings of Degas, Renoir, Morisot and other artists. And Léopold Chauveau's endearing monsters have plenty of stories to tell.
© Musée national Picasso Paris Béatrice Hatala
The Musée national Picasso-Paris proposes a series of podcasts on a variety of themes exploring the work and creative process of this major twentieth-century artist. Entitled ‘Picasso Poète’, the series consists of two playlists, one aimed at adults and one especially designed for children.
© Hermann
Paris Musées, which manages the museums run by the City of Paris – the Paris Catacombes, the Archeological crypt, Balzac's house, Victor Hugo's house, the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of the Liberation of Paris-Général Leclerc-Jean Moulin, the Bourdelle Museum, the Carnavalet Museum, the Cernuschi Museum, the Cognacq-Jay Museum, the musée de la Vie Romantique, the Petit Palais, and the Zadkine Museum – proposes an impressive number of podcasts on a variety of themes. One series, aimed at children and young people, is the ‘Paris résonne’ (Paris resonates) series, and there’s also the 'Must-see works at the Museum of Modern Art.
© Ph Levy
We follow the adventures of OLMA, an imaginary machine, who tells us stories from his island in Norway. On the programme: fictions, travels in the sky, in space, in the human brain... A scientific and entertaining podcast imagined by the Cité des Sciences, in partnership with France Inter.
Parisian museums pamper kids with puzzles, video games, virtual tours, experiences and web series.
