The
Musee d'Orsay is housed in the former Orsay railway station that was built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900.
This massive building takes up an entire city block and focuses on art created from 1848 to 1914.
Besides its impressive permanent collection, the interior is a wonder in and of itself.
The exhibits are on either side of the grand hall on five floors and in our five-hour visit we managed to view most of the galleries on four floors.
Rodin entered this sculpture in a competition and it is so lifelike the judge believed Rodin simply used the model's form as a mold. It took Rodin years to convince the judge and public otherwise, but this sculpture launches his career.
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| The Age of Bronze by August Rodin, 1876 |
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| The Age of Bronze by August Rodin, 1876 |
Did you know that besides being a painter, Degas was also a sculptor? Below is his bronze ballet dancer.
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| The Little Dancer by Edgar Degas, 1881 |
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| The Ballet Class by Edgar Degas, painted between 1871-1874 |
Other paintings on view at the Musee d'Orsay that made me smile include...
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| Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe by Edouard Manet, painted 1863 |
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| Two panels of larger damaged painting by Edouard Manet |
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| The Bridge at Moret by Alfred Sisley, painted 1863 |
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| The Church at Auvers-sur-Oise by Vincent Van Gogh, painted 1890 |
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| Dr. Paul Gachet by Vincent Van Gogh, painted 1890 |
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| Self Portrait by Vincent Van Gogh, painted 1889 |
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| Fritillaires in a Copper Vase by Vincent Van Gogh, painted 1887 |
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| Starry Night over the Rhone by Vincent Van Gogh, painted 1888 |
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| Vincent's Bedroom in Arles by Vincent Van Gogh, painted 1889 |
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| Tahitian Women on the Beach by Gauguin, painted 1891 |
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Still Life with Apples and Oranges by Paul Cezanne, painted 1899
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| Louveciennes, Sentier de la Mi-Cote by Alfred Sisley, painted 1873 |
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| Poppy Field by Claude Monet, painted 1873 |
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Fog, Voisins by Alfred Sisley, 1874
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Four of Claude Monet's Rouen Cathedral paintings were on display. Each captures the cathedral at a different time of day.
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| Rouen Cathedral by Claude Monet, painted 1893 |
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| The Seine and the Louvre by Camille Pissarro, painted 1903 |
There are two clocks on the exterior of the building and from one of the upper floors one can view past the glass clock face to the city and Seine.
We spent a total of five hours touring the Musee d'Orsay exhibits and about half way through stopped for an incredible lunch at the museum's restaurant.
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| View from my seat |
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| Looking up to my right |
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| Looking up to my left |
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| Duck foie gras starter |
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| Breen (fish) with veg |
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| Saint Pierre (fish) with apple and pear |
Having refuelled we continued our exploration of the collection and discovered the "decorative arts" section.
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| Notice the detailing on the ceiling fixture |
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| The Snake Charmer by Henri Rousseau, painted 1907 |
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| One Thousand and One Nights by Vittorio Zecchin, painted 1914 |
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| Bookcase by Francois-Ruper Carabin, 1890 |
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| Etched Plate by Juan Dunand, 1914 |
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| Stained glass skylight |
The Grand Salon is grand indeed, yet it takes up so little of the actual floor space of the museum and is found in a secluded corner.
Off in another quiet nook behind the gallery below I discovered a grouping of six small paintings.
The second from the left immediately caught my attention.
I had no idea Auguste Renoir had visited Guernsey or painted its north-westerly coastline.
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Marine, Guernsey by Auguste Renoir, painted 1883
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There is so much to see at the Musee d'Orsay and while we gave it our best shot we will no doubt have to return.
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