Indulging Your Inner Artist in Paris

Story by Kalin Beck

Ever since she first watched “Midnight in Paris” a few months ago, Megan Baxter has had a yearning to study art in Paris. “My childhood dream was to become an artist,” she says, “but I went on a completely different path.” After the marketing executive saw Woody Allen’s latest film, though, it awakened the dream buried inside her. “I’ve spent a lot of time lately daydreaming about quitting my job, moving to Paris and spending my days painting along the Seine.”

While Megan isn’t quite ready to give everything up to move to Paris, she has done the next best thing. “I booked a few private art lessons while I’m in Paris this autumn.”

She’s just one of countless people who have realized that Paris offers endless opportunities for personal enrichment, with more and more people heading to the French capital to take part in a wide variety of classes. Megan scheduled her art studies through P.S. Privé, a Paris experience company that also offers private photography tours, concierge services, perfume ateliers, cooking lessons and style workshops.

P.S. Privé recently hosted a private art workshop for nine women who wanted an untraditional “hen night” to celebrate an upcoming wedding. The women, all art history majors when they were in college in the U.K., opted to indulge their love of art rather than spend a night out on the town. They spent three hours with a professional artist along the Seine, receiving expert instruction while enjoying the beautiful Paris landscape.

There are, in fact, a vast number of companies and organizations in Paris that cater to these types of visitors. Some, like Photo Tours in Paris, combine sightseeing with expert instruction in photography. Others offer more intensive programs for those able to commit to more time in the city.

For those who, like Megan Baxter, want to follow their dream without committing to a permanent relocation to Paris, here are a few companies who offer art and photography classes for short term visitors:

P.S. Privé – A Paris experience company that creates customized programs for visitors to Paris, including private photography and art classes.

Photo Tours in Paris – Specializing in small, customized photo tours for photographers of all skill levels.

WICE – An Anglophone organization offering a variety of programs in the visual arts (as well as other cultural programs and social activities)

Spéos – Photography workshops and programs run by the Paris Photo Institute. Photo enthusiasts can choose to take one-day workshops or enroll in intensive programs that last as long as 40 weeks.