Musee d'Orsay

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Musee d'Orsay A must visit for art lovers

1 Rue de la Légion d'Honneur Paris, Île-de-France 75007 +33 1 4049 4814 / +33 1 4049 4978 http://www.musee-orsay.fr

Nearly 2.5 million visitors each year come to see the largest collection in the world of impressionist artwork, found in the splendid Musée d'Orsay. The building itself, called the Gare d'Orsay, was built for the World's Fair of 1900. During the Second World War, it was used to welcome freed prisoners. Once the train station (the Gare) fell into disuse and the adjacent hotel closed down in 1973, the building was threatened with demolition. However, it was decided to instead transform the building's function to house a collection of art from the second half of the 19th century. It was inaugurated in 1986 under the governance of François Mitterand. The principal gallery of the ground floor, 138 meters long (453 feet) and 32 meters tall (105 feet), is a reminder of the building's history. Among the masterpieces in this gallery are the scandalous Enterrement à Ornans by Gustave Courbet and the Glaneuses by Jean-François Millet. Fans of impressionism should head directly up to the 5th floor, where works by the greatest masters of this genre are hung in galleries 29 to 48. In order of appearance, these include La Classe de danse by Degas, Still Lifes by Manet such as L'Asperge, Le Bal du Moulin de la Galette by Renoir, and La Gare Saint-Lazare, La Cathédrale de Rouen or the Nymphéas by Claude Monet. Works by Van Gogh in gallery 35 and Cézanne in 36 follow, the small galleries 37 and 38 contain pastels by Degas, and galleries 43-44 are devoted to Gauguin's paintings of Tahiti. Decorative arts are located a few flights down, worth visiting notably for the impressive collection of Art Nouveau. While on this floor, don't miss the terrasse Rodin, where L'Homme qui marche is located, and worth taking the time to appreciate. For a short rest to help absorb this astonishing collection, visit the Café des Hauteurs on the 3rd floor or the restaurant on the 6th floor. - Aurélie Pichard Review © 2009, Wcities

Musee d'Orsay Photo: Hector Zarate (hZ)	Musee d'Orsay Photo: peter honeyman	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Yong Thye	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Ted Wang	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Uma Maheswari	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Eugenia and Julian	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Lindsay Wade	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Michael Olson
Musee d'Orsay Photo: Karen (Lucci) Morris	Musee d'Orsay Photo: edmwnd	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Hackston/Steparova	Musee d'Orsay Photo: pp7k	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Gabriel Lovato	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Nigel Stewart	Musee d'Orsay Photo: bitadani	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Mark
Musee d'Orsay Photo: Darcey Kunigisky	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Marjan Alemi	Musee d'Orsay Photo: ugo3ugo32001	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Alan Travis	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Bob Bradburn	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Paul Brockmann	Musee d'Orsay Photo: caseylowry	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Eagle Chris
Musee d'Orsay Photo: Tara Woodall	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Ashley Christoff	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Xavier Catchot	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Nick Phelps	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Claus R. Michalek	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Juan Luis Sotillo	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Sarah	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Manel Girons
Musee d'Orsay Photo: Dominique BEYLY	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Sandra Whiteway	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Giorgio Monteforti	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Jackie Kever	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Treedson	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Butch Leitz	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Jim Stratton	Musee d'Orsay Photo: John Chin
Musee d'Orsay Photo: Liberty McLaren	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Marilyn Naron	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Gabriela Ferrer.	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Rachel Breck	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Hoyt Harris	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Tara67	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Craig Maccubbin	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Charles Kuo
Musee d'Orsay Photo: Ana Feliciano	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Kristen Chapman	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Serena Epstein	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Anne-Mieke Halbrook	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Luis Muñoz	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Jamie Riddell	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Stephen Heath	Musee d'Orsay Photo: unformatt.com
Musee d'Orsay Photo: redsawdust	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Jennifer Chapman	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Iorus and Bela	Musee d'Orsay Photo: Juan C. Cruz

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