Do you have an appetite for art history that cannot be satiated by anything but some study abroad time? Fortunately for you, taking a trip this summer to Paris would enable you to get more than your fill of the most exquisite artwork known to mankind. While the Louvre seems to be the crowning gem of Parisian museums, you should be sure to swing by the Musée d’Orsay to be wooed by the incredible brushstrokes of master impressionists and other artists.
Dive into the building’s history
As is the case with nearly every building in Paris, this museum’s structural history is one rich in royalty and civil disorder. According to the Musée d’Orsay’s website, this building originally belonged to Henri IV’s wife Marguerite de Valois, being a prime example of palatial opulence. However, following the queen’s death, the structure became a place where cargo imported into the city via the Seine was stored. During the Paris Commune of 1871, when there was an explosive public attack against Napoleon III’s government, the locale served as a barracks for the royal Cavalry and was set aflame amidst the disorder. The former royal residence remained in ruins for decades until it was transformed into a train station and hotel in preparation for the World’s Fair in 1900.
From that point in time until 1939, this building, which you can visit while studying abroad, served as a prominent railroad hub. Even though it had once served as a primary part of the southwestern French network of trains, it slowly transformed into one used for traveling in and out of the suburbs of Paris. Because of this, the Gare d’Orsay was employed for a variety of purposes over the majority of the 20th century. For example, it was a mailing center during World War II, as well as a movie set for a variety of films. Ultimately, in 1977, President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing officially approved a project in which the structure would be made into a museum, proceeding to deem it an official monument to be protected in 1978. Following eight years of construction, the Musée d’Orsay opened its doors in December 1986, becoming the aesthetically enlightening institution that it is today.
Explore the artwork
Within the intricate walls of the museum, there is an expansive array of artwork, Lonely Planet explained. The collections were put together using works that came from other institutions throughout Paris. Any pieces created by artists who had been born following 1820 were pulled from the Louvre and sent to d’Orsay. In addition, you can see the impressionist works that were moved from the Musée du Jeu de Paume but are now d’Orsay’s claim to fame. Lastly, art crafted by painters and sculptors that had once resided in the National Museum of Modern Art was relocated to this structure when all the contemporary collections were being transferred to the Centre Pompidou.
As you meander through the art nouveau building, you will come across a number of galleries, each of which contain work created during a hallmark time period in French art history. Of all the notable artistic movements represented at the Musée d’Orsay, impressionist, postimpressionist and art nouveau are brilliantly highlighted. While you are there, you can drink in landscape pieces depicting Monet’s gardens at his Giverny estate, savor Cézanne’s still lifes, relish in Degas’ ballerinas, drool over Toulouse-Lautrec’s can-can dancers and dazzle your senses with Van Gogh’s distorted portraits.
To wrap up this excursion, you should be sure to venture to the top floor of the museum and view one of the most unique features that the Musée d’Orsay boasts. By peering out of one of the giant clocks of this structure, you can bear witness to perhaps the most exceptional view of the city. This Parisian panorama alone could make your study abroad experience well worth your while.