THE ART

Looming large on the cultural horizon this summer is the reopening, next Wednesday, of the Musée de l’Orangerie (£4.50; www.musee-orangerie.fr) after a six-year renovation. The museum showcases Monet’s sequence of water lilies (pictured, left) — Les Nymphéas — as well as a host of important works by the likes of Cézanne, Matisse, Modigliani and Picasso. In a single bound, it will take its place at the top of many must-see lists.

But don’t let it distract you entirely from the other shows and openings on offer this season — many of which concern less familiar artists and themes. Foremost among these is the brand-new, £150m Musée du Quai Branly (£5.80; www.quaibranly.fr), which opens on June 23 and is devoted to the art of Oceania, Asia, Africa and the Americas. Pair that with a tour of pre-Christian artefacts from Peru at the newly renovated Petit Palais (until July 2; £6.20; www.petitpalais.paris.fr) and you’ll have a very different view of the kind of art Paris has to offer.

Or how about looking at the 20th century afresh? The latest rehang at the National Museum of Modern Art, in the Pompidou Centre (until January 29, 2007; £6.90; www.cnac-gp.fr), is called The Movement of Images and charts the powerful influence of cinema on art.

THE RESTAURANTS

The Parisian restaurant scene is changing fast. Euro inflation and a flagging French economy have hit gastronomic wallets hard, while restaurateurs both young and old are pioneering a simpler, more relaxed style.

A depressing trend, perhaps?

Not a bit of it: the food is less fussy, the service is less stuffy, and — best of all — the prices are more affordable. Top Parisian nosh has rarely been so accessible.

The standard-bearer of the new movement is Alain Senderens. His old restaurant, Lucas Carton, used to have three Michelin stars, but he shut up shop last year, complaining that the pursuit of such accolades was too stressful. In its stead, he opened a stripped-down “gastro-bistro” called Senderens (9 Place de la Madeleine; 00 33-1 42 65 22 90) and magnanimously vowed to keep the menus beneath the £75 mark. If you go at lunchtime, it’ll cost less (about £50 a head for three courses), and you’ll be much more likely to get a table. Senderens’ inventive style, influenced by flavours from North Africa and the Far East, is a big hit with the locals — and, ironically, with the men from Michelin, too. They’ve just awarded him two new stars.

The traditional French brasserie is also back in fashion, and nowhere more so than at Le Comptoir, home of the highly rated Yves Camdeborde (9 Carrefour de l’Odeon; 01 43 29 12 05). Perhaps the decor is a little too meticulous in its evocation of the past, but there’s no denying the fun, and quality, of the food.

Or how about devoting a meal to a single ingredient?

At Pomze (109 Boulevard Haussmann; 01 42 65 65 83), they worship the humble apple in all its forms — from single-variety Breton ciders to an irresistible array of puds.

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