Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Nissim de Camondo in Paris

Like i go every two months to Paris i was thinking to make some posts about my favourites places.
the "Musée Nissim de Camondo" is a fantastic place (were i go once a year :-) and big story that has a sad end.

Moïse de Camondo is a son of a Turkish bankersfamily that came to Paris in 1869
He opened a bank in Paris and lived the high life to get noticed, and they did that very well
The family became quickly very very popular, they bought land at the Parc Monceau (village of the rich and powerfull in Paris)
And Moïse builded a nice Hotel Particulier that is very very much inspired from the petit Trianon from Marie Antoinette. During his whole life he was always on the look for the nicest pieces of 18 century furniture.


The house is huge, it's like a dream, it feels like an 18th century house but it has every modern facility's.
The collection of furniture is enourmous, and the best is that this house was really a house that was lived in. Its not a reconstruction, its exactly how Moïse de Camondo left it. Because now come the sad part.
Moïse de Camondo had everything his hart wished, even two nice children, Nissim and Béatrice.
They had all a fantastic life traveling between their different properties. Moïse sold after a while his bank, so he didn't had to work anymore. He did everything so his house in Paris would be preserved like a museum even after his dead. But then dead came on to their door, Nissim got killed during the first world war, he was a pilot. Thats why the museum is called Musée Nissim de Camondo. Moïse never got over it, and closed himself out of society. The famous dinnerparty for the Paris high society were history.
He died in 1935, the last living person of that fantastic period was Béatrice. She was married with Leon Reinach. And they had two children Fanny and Bertrand. One thing i didn't told in the beginning is that the Camondo's where jewish, i suppose you can imagine the rest of the story. Her children and her husband died in 43 and Béatrice died in 45 far away of their beloved Paris property. She was the last of the Camondo's, the protectors of the french 18th century.
Luckely their work is still there to be admired.
So you have to visit this place not only for the nice interiors but also to pay them a tribut.

The Hallway

One of the staircaisses

the second hallway

Moïse bureau

A hallway

The English room

the silver and porcelain room, this is were Moïse took his dinner's alone

The fantastic dinnerroom




First floor landing

2 comments:

Concrete Jungle said...

One of my very favorite places in Paris....you can experience and imagine the enjoyment of one of the most glorious eras of design !

Lord Cowell said...

I love this house. I have never been there, but it is now definitely on my 'to do' list when I am next in Paris. Thank you for this post.
David.

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