It's an interesting point you make here...
I have a different experience regarding "El Prado" in Madrid...
There were a lot of people, taking pictures of themselves in front of the paintings of Goya or Velazquez, Greco and Bosch...
but also a lot of people where talking about the paintings, really engaging in discussions, from teenagers to couples,
to families... it was really a nice experience, because after going to "Reina Sofia" full of people taking weird photos
of themselves in front of the Guernica, seeing the overall behavior of the visitants of "El Prado" was so refreshing...
I attributed to the curatorial approach of "El Prado" and the strong teaching emphasis of the Museum, but I've never been
in Paris, so I can't really compare it..
(I just got my first acceptance... yay!)