Musée Nissim de Camondo

Overview

The Musée Nissim de Camondo is an incredibly flawless, heartbreakingly beautiful aristocratic time capsule. Situated adjacent to Parc Monceau, this spectacular Belle Époque mansion houses one of the finest collections of 18th-century French decorative arts in the world.

Highlights

• The Collection: Breathtaking, impeccably pristine 18th-century royal furniture, Sèvres porcelain, and tapestries arranged exactly as they were lived with.
• The Kitchens: Unlike most palace museums, you can explore the gleaming, ultra-modern (for 1911) downstairs kitchen facilities and servant quarters.
• The Architecture: Built to seamlessly resemble a true 18th-century Petit Trianon, while hiding advanced 1911 technology like central heating, internal elevators, and vacuum systems.

History

Moïse de Camondo, a fabulously wealthy Jewish banker, built the house specifically to display his incredible 18th-century art collection. He named it after his son, Nissim, who was tragically killed in aerial combat in WWI. Moïse bequeathed the entire estate to France upon his death in 1935. Tragically, a few years later, his daughter and her family (his only remaining heirs) were murdered in Auschwitz.

Visitor Tips

• Audio Guard: The audio guide is excellent, bringing the tragic, fascinating history of the Camondo family to life while explaining the art.
• Atmosphere: It operates much like the Frick Collection in New York—it is a deeply personal, flawlessly curated home rather than a cold museum gallery.
• : 1.5–2 hours.