Musée d'Orsay

Paris, France

The Musée d'Orsay was built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography. It houses the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces in the world, by painters including Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Seurat, Sisley, Gauguin and Van Gogh. Many of these works were held at the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume prior to the museum's opening in 1986.

The museum building was originally a railway station, Gare d'Orsay, constructed for the Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans and finished in time for the 1900 Exposition Universelle to the design of three architects: Lucien Magne, Émile Bénard and Victor Laloux. It was the terminus for the railways of southwestern France until 1939.

By 1939 the station's short platforms had become unsuitable for the longer trains that had come to be used for mainline services. After 1939 it was used for suburban services and part of it became a mailing centre during World War II. It was then used as a set for several films, such as Kafka's The Trial adapted by Orson Welles, and as a haven for the Renaud–Barrault Theatre Company and for auctioneers, while the Hôtel Drouot was being rebuilt.

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Address

Rue de Lille 62, Paris, France
See all sites in Paris

Details

Founded: 1898-1900
Category: Museums in France

More Information

www.musee-orsay.fr

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Veronica Dimitrova (2 years ago)
Very nice place, free to visit for Europeans aged 18 to 25. We didn't have online tickets booked beforehand but it was really easy to do so. The nice man on the entrance helped us, he was very polite and speaked English. I would say give yourself 2 hours to visit.
igwinelove fujin421cellar (2 years ago)
This is the greatest museum in the world. It’s so happy to live in Paris, as long as you have time, you can come and see it anytime. It’s very helpful for human beings. It’s very helpful for children. Born in Paris, you can come here every day when you have time. In addition to food and wine, Chen Hao also has culture, art and healthy Paris. Happy Paris I love
Fabio De Angelis (2 years ago)
Who am I to evaluate such a wonderful, astonishing museum, full of masterpieces of world culture? If you are in Paris, take your time to spend three, four hours, one day in this must-to-be-seen museum! Enjoy that time! ;)
Marcos Chavarria (2 years ago)
Great museum, great location. You could think it is a small museum, but the distribution and the amount of art pieces you will find are endless. You can spend 3 hrs here easily. I recommend it for youngs and adults. I would go back definitively.
Yrn Sbh Shll (2 years ago)
One of the best Museum. Display, atmosphere, the building, object are amazing. there is a locker room for free and it is so convenient to leave bags and walk around. taking picture was forbidden for many saloons. yet the memory of it good enough.
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