Orsay Museum – French art from 1848 to 1914
The Orsay Museum, inaugurated by the late President Mitterrand in 1986, has a rather unique history!
Housed in a former terminus train station, it offers a journey through the evolution of French art and society from 1848 to 1914. A rich and varied program, encompassing architecture, sculpture, literature, and opera, provides a fascinating glimpse into the era’s cultural world.
The museum also presents works from the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Jeu de Paume.
One of the major strengths of the Orsay Museum lies in its exceptional Impressionist collections, considered among the finest in the world. The museum indeed exhobits masterpieces by renowned artists such as Monet, Manet and Degas.
You will need at least half a day to go through all the exhibitions!
In addition, the museum offers excellent facilities, including a restaurant with panoramic views of the Louvre and northern Paris, making it a must-visit destination for art lovers during a stay in Paris.
Sculptural exhibits on the esplanade of the Orsay Museum
Before entering the Orsay Musuem, take a moment to admire the remarkable animal sculptures that adorn the esplanade:
“Young Elephant Caught in a Trap” by Emmanuel Frémiet, “Rhinoceros” by Alfred Jacquemart, and “Horse with a Harrow” by Pierre-Louis Rouillard were created for the gardens of the Trocadéro Palace for the 1878 Universal Exposition. They found their home at the Orsay Museum in the mid-1980s.
On the south side of the esplanade, a low wall serves as a pedestal for “The Six Continents,” a series of allegorical statues representing women, each symbolising a continent.
Created by renowned sculptors Alexandre Schoenewerk, Alexandre Falguière, Eugène Delaplanche, Ernest Eugène Hiolle, Aimé Millet and Mathurin Moreau, these statues represent the diversity of cultures and peoples of the world.
Curiously, the statues of the “Six Continents” fell into oblivion for years, remaining stored in the city of Nantes until the Orsay Museum acquired them in exchange for a painting by Sisley.
From a railway terminus to a museum
Victor Laloux built the Gare d’Orsay in 1900. Considered a masterpiece of architectural innovation, the railway terminus replaced the Hôtel d’Orsay, a mansion destroyed during the Commune de Paris’s riots in 1871.
Laloux’s design embodied the then-fashionable metal architecture. He ingeniously concealed the metal structure behind a stone facade to harmonise it with the Louvre Palace on the opposite bank of the Seine. He also covered the ceiling with stucco, thus creating a perfect harmony between form and function.
The Gare d’Orsay, the terminus of the line serving southwest Paris, was the first station built specifically for electrified lines, marking an important milestone in railway history. Despite its technological advances, the station faced limitations due to a lack of space, making its expansion impossible. It was thus decommissioned in 1939. Although it briefly served the southern suburbs of Paris, its operational life was short, leading to discussions about its demolition… which never happened as it was converted into a superb museum!
Directions: 7th District – Rue de Bellechasse
Metro: Solférino on Line 12
RER C: Musée d’Orsay
Coordinates: Lat 48.859961 – Long 2.326561
