Braving the Air France Strikes to See the World’s Coolest New Museum: This Paris Wonder Has You Walking in Paintings

PARIS — The next Academy Awards show should present a special Oscar for Best Picture: Immersive Digital Art Experience to the creators of Paris’ fabulous new digital art center, Atelier des Lumieres, and the current exhibition organizers.

That idea sprang to mind as I roamed through gigantic projections of gorgeous, gold leaf-lavished paintings by Vienna Secession artists Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele materializing all around me in a restored 19th century foundry, accompanied by classical music by Wagner and Beethoven.

When I toured the new digital art center shortly after its recent opening in Paris, I found that it actually exceeded my optimistic expectations of what an “immersive digital art experience” might be like, based on everything I had read.

The biggest surprise was that – much as I enjoyed them – my responses to the blockbuster art exhibitions I subsequently saw at traditional museum venues in Paris paled in comparison to what I had experienced at the new digital art center, although admittedly, the Atelier offers a completely different type of presentation.

As brilliant colors and uplifting musical sounds surrounded me, I was transported into another era in a multi-sensory experience so realistically simulated that at one point, I felt I was walking on plush, richly decorated carpets instead of a hard concrete floor. I not only saw the beautiful paintings projected to monumental size all around me – I felt a new appreciation for the imaginative work that had gone into the original creation of each intricate detail, as well as the evolution into the contemporary production that magnified and dramatized the art so we could see it all with new eyes.

You can get a taste of the extraordinary experience by checking out the Studio of Lights website, starting with the Events category and clicking on the Gustav Klimt exhibition.

There are many more dazzling exhibition to explore. One featured Friedensreich Hundertwasser, a Viennese artist who expanded on his predecessors’ concepts. Another, a contemporary digital installation, was just as stunning and immersive.

You can discover this magical place from home with a virtual entry online, published by Culturespaces, which developed the Art and Music Immersive Experience. You can even be transported by the swirling music of O’Bon Paris.

The clip opens with Puccini’s mesmerizing “Humming Chorus” from the opera Madame Butterfly and segues into other beautiful music complementing the mood of the pictures. Such grand sounds and sights inspired a sense of quiet reverence among the visitors in the cathedral-sized space.

This was the first time I’ve ever been to any museum, movie or other entertainment site where visitors seemed so enthralled, they were dumbstruck.

Planes, Trains and French Strikes

This exalting experience was especially rewarding for me after grappling with cascading trip impediments equivalent to my own version of The Amazing Race in the form of erupting Air France strike date announcements, capped by the attempted coup de grace of a last-minute flight cancellation.

Months before, I had used frequent flier miles to book my round trip via Delta Air Lines starting with a nonstop flight operated by partner Air France from Houston to Paris. The alternative would have been to book two connecting Delta flights, taking longer.

When, close to my scheduled departure date, I read news stories about Air France strike days that encompassed both my departure and return dates, I managed to book different Air France flight dates, which then entailed finding and booking an acceptable and available second hotel and changing other trip-related arrangements. But my hard-won victory was short-lived.

Two days before my newly scheduled departure date — a non-strike day ‚ I received an “Air France Flight Info” email stating “Your flight is cancelled” due to “operational reasons.” Cue the theme from Mission: Impossible.

Once again, persistence paid off; I eventually was able to surmount Delta phone recordings stating my estimated hold time was “greater than two hours” without the option of providing my number for a callback. I felt positively triumphant as I booked Delta connecting flights for the same departure date. In Atlanta, my connecting flight to Paris was unexpectedly delayed as we passengers were redirected to a gate in another terminal to board a different plane, but we finally got underway.

Once in Paris, I was able to easily use the Metro subway (versus the national rail system, which like Air France has been disrupted by strikes) to reach the exciting, record-setting Artcurial auction of furniture not included in the recent renovation of the legendary Hotel Ritz Paris; the huge “Kupka” exhibition at the Grand Palais; the “Delacroix” retrospective at the Louvre; “Tintoretto” at Musee du Luxembourg; “Dutch Artists in Paris, 1789-1914” at Petit Palais; and “Wild Souls: Symbolism in the Baltic States” at Musee d’Orsay.

It was fun to build on what I’d learned of these artists over the years at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Beyond the blockbuster shows, there’s nothing as spectacular as Paris blooming in the spring; nothing as delectable as a baguette from a French bakery; nowhere in the world that offers such ravishing feasts for the eyes as those one encounters on strolls around this historic yet contemporary city. Paris is constantly rebuilding and reinventing itself, so there’s always something new to enchant – and challenge.

Before you go, check the latest news on the air and ground transportation situation in France so you’ll be prepared for what might turn out to be your own Amazing Race. And be careful on the streets, once you get there.

Bon courage!