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Steve and Kimberly Kulpanowski visited a gallery at the airport as they were leaving Paris. Lauren Fleishman for The New York Times

ROISSY, France - When Steve and Kimberly Kulpanowski arrived at the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport to fly home to Detroit, they could not believe their luck.

They had tried to take in as much of Paris as they could, but they had missed the sculptures of Auguste Rodin. After checking in and going through security, though, they found Rodin's work in a most unexpected spot: in a small gallery tucked away between a Bulgari store and a cafe, on the way to their gate.

"We had missed it, that's why we were so excited to find it here," said Mr. Kulpanowski, 51. "I couldn't even believe it."

Officials at the airport inaugurated the museum space last December, hoping to improve the airport's image and gain a competitive edge over other European hubs. And financially struggling artistic institutions are eager to promote their collections to the millions of passengers that come through annually. As for travelers, they finally have more than duty-free cigarettes and 15 minutes of free Wi-Fi to look forward to.

The 240-square-meter, T-shaped gallery opened in Satellite 4, a new international departures hall at the airport, which is 25 kilometers north of Paris.

"It's a bit of a hidden treasure," said Stephanie Giddings, a 33-year-old Australian flying back from Berlin.

The cone-shaped entrance of wood and glass panels that ushers visitors inside is easy to miss. Many travelers go by without a glance, and those who stop are surprised.

Airports in Nice and Toulouse have also displayed art, and a terminal at Orly Airport, south of Paris, features weekly jazz concerts. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has a permanent annex at Schiphol Airport.

But Roissy-Charles de Gaulle is the first airport to organize an exhibit of this caliber in the heart of a terminal, a six-month show called "The Wings of Glory" set up in collaboration with the Musee Rodin. Rotating shows displaying pieces from other French artistic institutions will follow.

For museums, the partnership with Europe's second-busiest passenger airport offers maximal exposure at minimal costs, especially at a time when financing is hard to come by.

"It's six months of free advertising for us, and for an audience that is leaving but that often comes back," said Catherine Chevillot, the director of the Musee Rodin.

Mrs. Chevillot estimated that while 730,000 people visit the museum every year, approximately 750,000 to 800,000 people would come through the airport gallery in the next six months.

Didier Rykner, director of the art news Web site La Tribune de l'Art, was bemused: "When you go to Roissy, you go to take a flight, not to see a museum."

But travelers mostly approved. In an airport, "usually there is only commerce: buying, buying, buying!" said Carmen Vasquez, 58, a Mexican citizen, as she studied a portrait of Rodin. Her flight was leaving in 25 minutes.

The New York Times

(China Daily 02/24/2013 page12)