-
62 rue de Lille
75343 Paris
France -
+33 1 4049 4814
-
Neighborhood :
7th Arrondissement
http://www.musee-orsay.fr - Tue to Wed from 09:30 AM to 06:00 PM,Thu from 09:30 AM to 09:45 PM,Fri to Sun from 09:30 AM to 06:00 PM
Nearly 2.5 million visitors each year come to see the largest collection in the world of impressionist artwork, found in the splendid Musée d'Orsay. The building itself, called the Gare d'Orsay, was built for the World's Fair of 1900. During World War II, it was used to welcome freed prisoners. Once the train station (the Gare) fell into disuse and the adjacent hotel closed down in 1973, the building was threatened with demolition. However, it was decided to instead transform the building's function to house a collection of art from the second half of the 19th Century. It was inaugurated in 1986 under the governance of François Mitterand. The principal gallery of the ground floor, 138 meters long (453 feet) and 32 meters tall (105 feet), is a reminder of the building's history. Among the masterpieces in this gallery are the scandalous Enterrement à Ornans by Gustave Courbet and the Glaneuses by Jean-François Millet. Fans of impressionism should head directly up to the fifth floor, where works by the greatest masters of this genre are hung in galleries 29 to 48. In order of appearance, these include La Classe de danse by Degas, Still Lifes by Manet such as L'Asperge, Le Bal du Moulin de la Galette by Renoir, and La Gare Saint-Lazare, La Cathédrale de Rouen or the Nymphéas by Claude Monet. Works by Van Gogh in gallery 35 and Cézanne in 36 follow, the small galleries 37 and 38 contain pastels by Degas, and galleries 43-44 are devoted to Gauguin's paintings of Tahiti. Decorative arts are located a few flights down, worth visiting notably for the impressive collection of Art Nouveau. While on this floor, don't miss the terrasse Rodin, where L'Homme qui marche is located, and worth taking the time to appreciate. For a short rest to help absorb this astonishing collection, visit! the Café des Hauteurs on the third floor or the restaurant on the sixth floor. Also don't forget to check out the beautiful Hotel Le BelleChasse, which is walking distance from here. -Aurélie Pichard.
Copyright © 1999-2009 wcities.com All rights Reserved - Contact wcities to report incorrect information
Latest Reviews (from TravelMuse and around the web)
-
Leave Review
- E-mail*
- Password*
- Title *
- By clicking submit you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
- Submit
-
Review Options
Enter your personal information to the left, or sign in with your Facebook account by clicking the button below.
Trip Advisor Reviews
( 57 Reviews see all
)
Top 
“A enchanting and uplifting museum. Beauty to make your head hurt a little.”
Visited in March 2009 and loved it. Bought a day 'passport ticket' for the d'Orsay and the d'Orangerie which I felt was very good value. Conten...
“My favorite museum”
This is the only museum I go to regularly in Paris. I often sit with a book and just read and people watch for hours. Great on a rainy day! more
“Not so great with kids”
I'm a huge impressionist fan, and was so excited to visit Musee de Orsay during our visit to Paris. It was my first time to Paris. I went with ...
“A must see!”
Like other contributors, my husband and I also enjoyed this museum better than the Louvre. We thought the layout was very user-friendly and the...
“Amazing- much better than Louvre”
Was able to get up close and personal with many of the most famous impressionist paintings- extraordinary! more
“only if you're a serious art lover”
Other than seeing the inside of the building this wasn't one of our more enjoyable visits, Admittedly neither of us are art lovers, but we foun...
TravelMuse Reviews Top