DK Travel : Paris : Musée d’Orsay

Musée d’Orsay

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This wonderful collection covers a variety of art forms from the 1848–1914 period, including a superb Impressionists section. Its setting, in a converted railway station, is equally impressive. Built in 1900, in time for the Paris Exposition, the station was in use until 1939, when it was closed and largely ignored, bar its use as the location for Orson Welles’ 1962 film, The Trial . It was later used as a theatre and as auction rooms, and in the mid-1970s was considered for demolition. In 1977, the Paris authorities decided to save the imposing station building by converting it into this striking museum.
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Top 10 Features

1. The Building

The former railway station which houses this museum is almost as stunning as the exhibits. The light and spacious feel when one first steps inside, after admiring the magnificent old façade, takes one’s breath away.
2. Van Gogh Paintings

The star of a star collection is Vincent Van Gogh (1853–90) and perhaps the most striking of the several canvases on display is the 1889 work showing the artist’s Bedroom at Arles . Also on display are self-portraits, painted with the artist’s familiar intensity.
3. Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe

Edouard Manet’s (1832–83) controversial painting (1863) was first shown in an “Exhibition of Rejected Works”. Its bold portrayal of a classically nude woman enjoying the company of 19th-century men in suits brought about a wave of virulent criticism.
4. Olympia

Another Manet portrayal (1865) of a naked courtesan, receiving flowers sent by an admirer, was also regarded as indecent and shocked public and critics alike, but it was a great influence on later artists.
5. Blue Waterlilies

Claude Monet (1840–1926) painted this stunning canvas (1919) on one of his favourite themes. His love of waterlilies led him to create his own garden at Giverney to enable him to paint them in a natural setting. This experimental work inspired many abstract painters later in the 20th century.
6. Degas’ Statues of Dancers

Edgar Degas’ (1834–1917) sculpted dancers range from the innocent to the erotic. Young Dancer of Fourteen (1881) is one of the most striking and the only one exhibited in the artist’s lifetime.
7. Jane Avril Dancing

Toulouse-Lautrec’s (1864–1901) paintings define Paris’s belle époque . Jane Avril was a Moulin Rouge dancer and featured in several of his works, including this 1895 canvas.
8. Dancing at the Moulin de la Galette

One of the best-known paintings of the Impressionist era (1876), the exuberance of Renoir’s (1841–1919) work captures the look and mood of Montmartre.
9. La Belle Angèle

This portrait of a Brittany beauty (1889) by Paul Gauguin (1848–1903) shows the influence of Japanese art on the artist. It was bought by Degas, to finance Gauguin’s first trip to Polynesia.
10. Café des Hauteurs

As a rest from all the art, the Musée d’Orsay’s café is delightfully situated behind one of the former station’s huge clocks, making a break here an experience in itself. The food is good too.

Practical Information

The museum restaurant serves an excellent lunch during the day but arrive early, as long queues form. For a snack or a drink it is easier to go to the café on the upper level (Des Hauteurs). 1 rue de la Légion-d’Honneur, 75007 01 40 49 48 14 www.musee-orsay.fr Open 9am–6pm Tue–Sun (Thu till 9:45pm); closed 1 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec Admission €7.50 (€5.50 Sun & 18–25s, under 18s free); combined ticket for museum and temporary exhibitions €9.00 (€7.00 Sun & 18–25s)