Book Reviews: Museums, Roads Publishing

Forgive us for including this sumptuous coffee table tome dedicated to the architectural splendour of the world’s grandest museums in our round-up of France-related books – for only five buildings presented herein are actually in France. But the esteemed company that the likes of the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay and the Pompidou Centre keep at the top table of global museum architecture allows us to appreciate their aesthetic value in a broader context.

Two contemporary French temples to art also get a deserved look-in, and the crystal-glass magnificence of Lyon’s Musée des Confluences and Frank Gehry’s glass, metal and wood Louis Vuitton Foundation certainly hold their own alongside other visitor magnets like the Vatican Museums, St Petersburg’s State Hermitage Museum and New York’s Guggenheim.

Featuring exquisite large format photography, this is a stunning homage to the architect’s trade.

Museums, Introduction by Willem Jan Neutelings. List price: $60. Roads Publishing

From France Today magazine