Online Encyclopedia
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.
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 classed 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.
Artists whose works are on display on the Musee d'Orsay include:
- Antonio de La Gandara
- Edouard Manet
- Jean-François Millet
- Claude Monet
- Pierre-Auguste Renoir
- Vincent Van Gogh
- James McNeill Whistler
Access
Public transport: Metro Solferino, RER Musée d'Orsay
Note that in common with many French museums, it 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 and its contents, offering far more views than the official site.