The Musée des Arts Forains (Fairground Museum) is a private museum of

funfair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

and fairground objects located within the Pavillons de Bercy in the

12th arrondissement of Paris The 12th arrondissement of Paris (''XIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ''le douzième'' ("the twelfth"). Situated on the right bank of the River Seine, it is ...

at 53, avenue des Terroirs de France,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It is open to the public by prior reservation.

History

The museum was created by Jean Paul Favand, an actor and antiques dealer, from his private collection. It opened to the public in 1996, and now contains a variety of objects dating between 1850 and 1950 including 14

amusement ride Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...

s, 16 fair stalls and restored attractions, 18 sets of historical works, and 1522 independent works. The collections include

merry-go-round A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

s and

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

s, German swings, hundred-year-old

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

s, Japanese billiards, a Parisian Waiter Race and a Hooghuys Organ, and the grand vizier Ali Pasha.

Permanent collection

This collection is composed of three thematic rooms (covering about 2000 square meters each): "The Venetian Lounges" (''Les Salons Vénitiens''), "The Theatre of Marvels" (''Le Théâtre du Merveilleux'') and "The Fairground Art Museum" (''Le Musée des Arts Forains''). Mainly used for corporate events, the museum is also open to individual visitors (by reservation only). * ''The Theatre of Marvels'': A glimpse into the biggest

world fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

s of the beginning of the 20th century (especially Paris'

Exposition Universelle (1900) The Exposition Universelle of 1900, better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 14 April to 12 November 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate developmen ...

). An automatic orchestra (controlled by computer) audiovisual displays form a part of the attractions – thanks to 12 projectors, the walls metamorphose into

Captain Nemo Captain Nemo (; later identified as an Indian, Prince Dakkar) is a fictional character created by the French novelist Jules Verne (1828–1905). Nemo appears in two of Verne's science-fiction classics, ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' ( ...

's Nautilus submarine, or a coral reef. * ''The Venetian Lounges'': Visitors can watch an Italian opera-based show, performed by

automata An automaton (; plural: automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions.Automaton – Definition and More ...

in a typical Venetian setting, or go for a ride on a

gondola The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull ...

merry-go-round. * ''The Fairground Art Museum'': A special tribute to the 19th-century

– ride a

merry-go-round or play at a Parisian

Waiters' Race Waiters' Race is a race that tests the speed that a waiter can carry a loaded tray without tipping it. Origin of the waiters race It is possible to find archive footage showing a very old waiters race in Paris, London and Berlin at the beginni ...

stand.

Gallery

File:MuseeDesArtsForains01Dec2011.JPG File:MuseeDesArtsForains02Dec2011.JPG File:MuseeDesArtsForains03Dec2011.JPG File:MuseeDesArtsForains04Dec2011.JPG File:MuseeDesArtsForains05Dec2011.JPG

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Musee des Arts Forains Museums in Paris Amusement museums Buildings and structures in the 12th arrondissement of Paris

History

Permanent collection

See also

Gallery

References