The unicorn room
Themed rooms with distinct atmospheres — among the strangest displays in Paris.
Mbzt — CC BY-SA 3.0 · L-BBE — CC BY 3.0 · Mbzt — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bastenbas — CC BY-SA 4.0
The subject is explicit and unapologetic: weapons and a great deal of taxidermy, some of it large. The museum presents hunting as a historic cultural practice and raises questions about the human relationship with animals, but it takes no oppositional stance. If that troubles you, skip it — Paris has no shortage of alternatives.
It depends. Taxidermy fascinates many children and distresses others, and the weapons need explaining. The museum is not designed for children and its atmosphere is quiet, closer to a private house. For children in Paris, the Musée en Herbe or the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution suit far better.
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A museum in two adjoining private mansions in the Marais, combining historic hunting weapons, taxidermy and both old and contemporary art in a thoroughly unusual way. What distinguishes it is the manner of display. This is not a conventional museum arranged chronologically but a sequence of rooms designed like the inside of a house: the dog room, the bird room, the unicorn room — each with its own atmosphere, mixing sixteenth-century pieces with contemporary works commissioned for the space. The mixing is deliberate and makes it one of the most argued-about and admired museums in Paris. Many visitors call it the strangest museum they have seen, and it is a favourite among people interested in design. A plain practical point: the museum shows a great deal of taxidermy and hunting weapons, and its subject is hunting. Anyone who finds that ethically or visually troubling should avoid it — the display does not apologise for its subject. The location in the Marais is walking distance from the National Archives and the Musée Picasso.
Themed rooms with distinct atmospheres — among the strangest displays in Paris.
Artists commissioned for these rooms, shown among historic pieces.
Its fame rests on the manner of display rather than the collection.
Marais, 3rd arrondissement, Paris
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