Musée d'Orsay

The Musée d'Orsay is a museum in Paris, situated on the left bank of the River Seine. It holds mainly French art from 1848 to 1914: paintings, sculptures, furniture, objets d'art and photography.

History

The building was originally a railway station, built in 1900 by Victor Laloux, and served as a terminus for the Paris-Orléans railway. It was known as Gare d'Orsay. It closed in 1939, was listed as a historical monument in 1978, and re-opened as a museum in December 1986, bringing together collections from the Louvre, the Musée du Jeu de Paume and the Musée National d'Art Moderne at the Centre Georges Pompidou. There is a huge clock which still works in the main terminal of the museum.

Collections

Artists whose works are on display on the Musée d'Orsay include:

• Paul Cézanne
• Gustave Courbet
  • L'Origine du monde
• Antonio de La Gandara
• Edgar Degas
• James McNeill Whistler
• Édouard Manet
  • Olympia
  • The Luncheon on the Grass
• Jean-François Millet
• Claude Monet
• Pierre-Auguste Renoir
• Auguste Rodin
• Georges Seurat
• Vincent Van Gogh
  • Portrait of Dr. Gachet
  • Starry Night Over the Rhone

Access

Public transport: Metro Solférino, RER Musée d'Orsay (Paris Metro).

Note that as with many French museums, the Musée d'Orsay is closed on Mondays.

External links

• Official site
• Insecula: Musée d'Orsay virtual visit
• Insecula: Musée d'Orsay French Paintings
• Insecula: Musée d'Orsay French Sculptures

Note that Insecula is currently the most comprehensive source for images of the Orsay Museum and its contents, offering far more views than the official site.