The Musée du Luxembourg is an important exhibition center in Paris. It is located inside the Jardin du Luxembourg, in the ancient Orangerie of the Palais du Luxembourg, the former residence of Marie de Medici and now the seat of the Senate. The museum has ancient origins and important for museology: Inaugurated in 1750, in fact, it was the first art museum open to the public, located in the east wing of the Luxembourg Palace. In 1818 it became the first museum of contemporary art and in 1884 it was moved to its current location. It was closed from 1937 to 1979: its collection was dismembered among some of the most important museums in the city, such as the Musée du Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, the Palais de Tokyo, the Orangerie or the Center Pompidou. Since 2000 the Museum has been placed under the protection of the French Senate and is used for important temporary exhibitions.