Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
We wanted to visit The Muse'e d'Orsay which houses the world's greatest collection of French Impressionist art. The Metro dropped us just across the river at The Tuileries Gardens, a famous, large park next to the Louvre and just across the Seine from The Orsay.
We were interested to learn that The Tuileries is where roof tile workshops were located many centuries ago. Eventually it became a garden next to the palace of Queen Catherine de Medici, the widow of King Henry II. It was modeled after the Italian Renaissance gardens of Catherine's native Florence. You can see a couple of pictures in our photos.
The Orsay Museum is a 5-minute walk across the Tuileries, across a short bridge over the Seine, and into The St-Germain District. The building is an old train station that has been beautifully renovated, both outside and inside. The interior, where photos are prohibited, is a huge atrium with six levels of galleries rimming the edges. Each level is devoted to specific decades and specific artists. There are impressive sculptures on the ground floor and other fine sculptures scattered on all levels. We especially enjoyed the magnificent collection of Rodins. We viewed beautiful works by Cezanne, Monet, Manet, Degas, Gaugin, Renoir, and Toulouse-Lautrec. It was a real treat to see the great works by Van Gogh, especially his self-portrait and the spectacular starry night.
While The Louvre is the largest art museum in Paris, we'd say that The Orsay is the most beautiful. Click on "Photos" to see pics of The Orsay's exterior.
- comments