Paris Art Museum: Musee D’Orsay
Renoir. Monet. Degas. Cezanne. Rodin. Those are a few of the amazing artists featured in this Paris art museum – the Musee D’Orsay. Before becoming a museum in the 1980s, it was a magnificent train station in the heart of Paris.
The building itself is a work of art, both inside and out. On the inside, you’ll find mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914. It’s not just paintings, though. There are sculptures, furniture, and even photography.
If you want to visit Musee D’Orsay in Paris, here are a few tips on how to maximize your visit. I’ve also included a short list of the some the more well-known French artists and their work.
Prepare for Your Visit to Musee D’Orsay
How do you prepare to explore an art museum? A lot of times I don’t really know what to expect. My plan is to simply walk in the entrance, visit every room to see everything, and then walk out. Often, I’ll see something that many people are crowded around and think, “That’s probably something famous.”
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Admittedly, it’s not the best way to see an art museum. However, not knowing what to expect has also given me an opportunity to visit a lot of things in an art museum so I can share with you what I found out. I can share my favorite pieces of art or thoughts on a sculpture.
But as you plan to visit the Musee D’Orsay, I recommend downloading the Orsay Museum Visitor’s Guide:
To be honest, I didn’t rely much on the app. I used it to learn about a few things, but you have to purchase the full version and I wasn’t interested in doing that. Reviews are mixed on the app quality as well. But it’s free to download and can be useful as a tool to explore the museum.
Notable Artists at this Paris Art Museum
You’ll probably recognize some of the more famous names of artists in the Musee D’Orsay. But could you describe one or more of their paintings? Here’s a list of some of the more notable artists, and what I found interesting in their work.
Please keep in mind that I am not an art scholar. I’m an average tourist who enjoys learning.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)
If I had to pick my favorite artist, I would have to go with Renoir. I knew the name prior to my visit to Paris, but I was not familiar with his paintings. Pictures above is a painting I would love to have displayed in my house one day – I just need to find the right house that would allow a piece of art like this to be displayed and not look out of place. “Young Girls at the Piano” (1892).
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
I’m familiar with van Gogh’s Starry Night painting (housed at the MOMA in New York City). NOTE: Starry Night Over the Rhone is housed in this museum. But I wasn’t familiar with many of his other works of art. This particular painting – Self Portrait – seemed to be the most popular of van Gogh’s paintings in the Musee D’Orsay. People would crowd around it and snap photo after photo – and even a few selfies. But my wife was drawn to one of his other paintings – Terrace of a Cafe on Montmartre.
I found out after our trip that van Gogh is my daughter’s favorite artist. So when we take her to Paris next year, we’ll make another stop at Musee D’Orsay so she can see his work first-hand.
Claude Monet (1840-1926)
Just before visiting Musee D’Orsay, we had stopped at another Paris art museum: L’Orangerie. It housed Monet’s Water Lilies in large rooms. So I was a little surprised to see yet another lily painting by Monet. But this one’s known as Blue Water Lilies. He had some unique style of painting that looks almost abstract and undefined.
Paul Cezanne (1839-1906)
Cezanne is an artist I was not familiar with, even by name. I guess I didn’t pay enough attention in my art class in high school. There are several of Cezanne’s works on display at the Musee D’Orsay, including Still Life with Onions, Woman with a Coffeepot and Apples and Oranges.
Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)
The Musee D’Orsay abounds in sculptures, not just paintings. The entire open air, central part of the museum is one statue after another. Rodin is one of the many sculptures featured here. He also has his own museum across town, so you can capture a plethora of his work if you venture to the Rodin Museum.
Edgar Degas (1834-1917)
I’ve heard the name Degas before, but I wouldn’t have been able to tell you a single one of his paintings. I did like the style of his paintings photographed above: The Ballet Class and The Ballet Rehearsal on Stage.
Edouard Manet (1832-1883)
I loved the vivid colors of Manet’s The Fife painting. Maybe it’s because I was in marching band in both high school and college as a trombonist and could somewhat relate to the uniform. But the vibrant colors of the musician’s outfit against the grayish background really popped.
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
I had no clue this painting was housed here. But when I saw it, I thought, “Hey. Isn’t that Whistler’s Mother?” Sure enough. I was right. It made me smile to think I knew the name of a piece of a famous piece of art housed in a Paris art museum. I could even tell you the artist’s last name… Whistler. Haha! Anyway, you’ll find this painting housed at the Musee D’Orsay.
Victor Laloux (1850-1937)
One of the more fascinating aspects of this Paris art museum is the old train station that houses the art. There three three notable clocks inside the museum that you can’t miss. They were designed by Victor Laloux, which I admittedly had to look up as I was writing this article. I enjoyed photographing the clock above, found on the upper floors of the museum. It’s not very often you see a clock from behind.
Summary
Musee D’Orsay has so many pieces of art in it, that trying to take it all in can be overwhelming. To me, after a while all the sculptures start to look a like. The paintings, too. So my recommendation would be to find out the pieces of art or artists you want to see in the museum, then dedicate your visit to finding and studying those pieces of art. You’ll be glad you did it that way instead of the “wander aimlessly, hoping to catch a glimpse of everything without actually learning or taking in much of anything” approach.
The Details
Address: 1 rue de la Legion D’Honneur, 75007 Paris France
Cost: About $16 for adults. Free to those under 18. There are other pricing options and multi-museum discounts available on their website.
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Monday. Open until 9:45 p.m. on Thursdays.
Website: https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/accueil.html
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