Museum reviews: The Musee dOrsay, Paris, France

The Musee d’Orsay is the second most well stocked museum in the world right next to the Louvre itself. It is an enormous museum that specializes in famous art created from the late 19th to early 20th century. It contains pieces by Van Gogh, Renoir, Manet Monet, and many other masters. As one traveller put it, “If it is not in the Louvre, it is in the Musee d’Orsay!”

The most noteworthy aspect of this museum is one that differentiates it from all others of its kind. The Museum is actually housed in an old railroad station and thus the building itself becomes half the attraction, art in and of itself.

It specifically shows art created from 1848 to 1914. The categories are vast but a sampling of them reveals emphasis on Decorative Arts, History, Literature, Furniture, Painting, Photography, and Sculpture.

As far as specific pieces it contains many that are considered the best representations of the Impressionist (Manet, Monet, Renoir) and Expressionist (Van Gogh) movements. Even someone who would not normally feel inclined to travel to a museum would find great value in something at the museum; if not the pieces, in the unique structure of the building itself. This is one of the few museums that has the potential to turn virtually anyone into an art lover!

If I had recommend one piece for the reader to check out it would be Vincent Van Gogh’s self portrait. It is a brilliant piece and one of the best of his great and storied career. “Blue Waterlillies” by Monet (1919). The museum also houses his excellent Rouen Cathedral’ series in its entirety! The highlight of the Rodin collection in the Orsay museum is the monumental composition called The Gates of Hell’ and they also contain The Thinker, which even non enthusiasts are well acquainted with. Rodin’s works are especially monumental to the point of almost overwhelming the viewer.

This is one of the best museums on the planet and should be recommend to everyone. It’s common to hear people sigh about the Musee d’Orsay, saying they preferred it even to the Louvre. Although much smaller than the Louvre, those comments are understandable, given the concentration of beautiful 18th and 19th century artwork and the variety of the pieces. It is really a matter of preference, but everyone who knows art knows this was one of the best periods on the timeline, and this museum captures the era in epic fashion. You have to see it at least once in your lifetime.