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The Musée d'Orsay ( French pronunciation: [myze dɔʁsɛ] ) is a museum in Paris , France , on the left bank of the Seine . It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay , an impressive Beaux-Arts railway station 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 such painters such as 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 architect first appointed was Eugène Hénard. He intended to use industrial material on the facade facing the Louvre. Facing fierce protests from preservationists, the Compagnie d'Orléans decided to hold a competition supervised by a parliamentary commission. The winner of this contest was Victor Laloux, who had also designed the railway station in Tours, France.
His design was acclaimed for the integration of the metal vault in the stone exterior. The hall measures 140 meter long, 40 meter wide and 32 meter high (459 x 132 x 105 ft). The whole structure is 175 meter long and 75 meter wide (574 x 246 ft). An impressive 12 000 ton metal was used for the construction of the gare d'Orsay, which is well more than the amount of metal used for the Eiffel Tower .
The Gare d'Orsay was inaugurated on the 14th of July 1900 for the Paris World Exposition and was considered a masterpiece of industrial architecture. But soon the platforms had become too short for the now much longer trains and as early as 1939, the gare d'Orsay was out of use as a train station. Over time it was used as a parking lot, as a shooting stand, as a theatre location and even as a reception center for prisoners of war.
When it opened the museum contained some 2300 paintings, 1500 sculptures and 1000 other objects. Most of these works of art came from other museums such as the Musée du Luxembourg. Over time the collection has expanded significantly mainly due to acquisitions and gifts. It covers a period from the mid 19th century up to 1914 and contains works from Degas, Rodin, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Cezanne, van Gogh and others.
The architect first appointed was Eugène Hénard. He intended to use industrial material on the facade facing the Louvre. Facing fierce protests from preservationists, the Compagnie d'Orléans decided to hold a competition supervised by a parliamentary commission. The winner of this contest was Victor Laloux, who had also designed the railway station in Tours, France.
His design was acclaimed for the integration of the metal vault in the stone exterior. The hall measures 140 meter long, 40 meter wide and 32 meter high (459 x 132 x 105 ft). The whole structure is 175 meter long and 75 meter wide (574 x 246 ft). An impressive 12 000 ton metal was used for the construction of the gare d'Orsay, which is well more than the amount of metal used for the Eiffel Tower .
The Gare d'Orsay was inaugurated on the 14th of July 1900 for the Paris World Exposition and was considered a masterpiece of industrial architecture. But soon the platforms had become too short for the now much longer trains and as early as 1939, the gare d'Orsay was out of use as a train station. Over time it was used as a parking lot, as a shooting stand, as a theatre location and even as a reception center for prisoners of war.
When it opened the museum contained some 2300 paintings, 1500 sculptures and 1000 other objects. Most of these works of art came from other museums such as the Musée du Luxembourg. Over time the collection has expanded significantly mainly due to acquisitions and gifts. It covers a period from the mid 19th century up to 1914 and contains works from Degas, Rodin, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Cezanne, van Gogh and others.