The Musée des Beaux-Arts et Applied Arts d'Orsay is the third most popular museum in the French capital and the tenth in the world. Several million people visit it every year. It is located in the center of Paris, on the left bank of the Seine, next to the Tuileries Garden. The building is an example of luxury of the 19th century. It houses the largest collection of European paintings and sculptures from the years 1850-1910, thus filling the time gap between the collections of the Louvre and the Georges Pompidou Center.
The Musée d'Orsay is located in the building of the former railway station and the hotel adjacent to it. The station was built specifically for the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris. Since 1939, train traffic has practically ceased. In 1971, it was going to be torn down, but during the presidency of Georges Pompidou, it was decided to turn it into a museum. This was followed by reconstruction, and in 1986, President François Mitterrand opened it.
The collection of the Musée d'Orsay numbers more than 10 thousand works. It presents all types of art, but the emphasis is on the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. All this is presented on three floors.
On the first floor, not only the exhibition is interesting, but also the interior. The statues, located in two rows in the center, resemble a railway track, and on both sides of it, in the side rooms, there are examples of painting. Here you will see works by the Pre-Impressionists: Delacroix, Benouville, Pissarro, as well as paintings by Monet and Pissarro. Mostly religious art, like in the Louvre, but from a later period.
Don't miss the huge works by Gustave Courbet and one famous painting that clearly surprised the establishment - this is "The Origin of the Universe", created in 1866. Can you imagine the scandal this painting caused? If you are under 18, skip it.
Beneath your feet is a 3D replica of central Paris and a highly detailed miniature version of the Opera Garnier.
The second floor features works by the Impressionists. At the end of the 19th century, a group of artists broke away from traditional painting techniques and developed a new style known as Impressionism. Here you will see paintings by Monet, Cezanne, Gauguin, Millet and, of course, Vincent van Gogh. This is one of the most popular sections of the museum. You will also see works of decorative art of the modern era and sculptures by Rodin, Maillol, Bourdelle and others.
The third floor houses masterpieces of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. Here you will see paintings by Monet, Courbet, Manet, Picasso, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, Cézanne and others. This will be the highlight of your visit to the museum.
Don't miss the giant clock overlooking the street. On the same floor there is a terrace with a wonderful view of the Seine and Montmartre, in particular the Sacré-Coeur Cathedral.
The Orsay Museum has an excellent restaurant, two cafes, a bookstore, souvenir shops, toilets, etc.
To get to the Orsay Museum, use:
- metro: line 12, station Solférino;
- train RER C; station Musée d’Orsay;
- bus №24, 63, 68, 69,73, 83, 84, 94.
The museum is open every day except Monday, May 1 and December 25. Thursday - 9.30-21.45, other days - 9.30-18.00.
Entrance fee to the museum:
Full - 16 euros; discount (if you are under 18) - 13 euros; museum entrance (night rate) - 12 euros; free admission on the first Sunday of each month.
The exact address of the Orsay Museum: 62, rue de Lille.
To buy tickets online or get more information, visit the official website: https://www.musee-orsay.fr.
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