Musée d'Orsay
Paris
THE WORLD GREATEST IMPRESSIONIST COLLECTION...
We were in City of Lights, our dearest Paris, as part of a long time planned and cherished Gastrotour de la France.
We left behind 3 week of our Roadtrip segment which included; Champagne, Alsace, Bourgogne, Rhône, Provençal areas (PACA) and greater Bordeaux.
Now-this week- it was all about Paris; its fantastic, but increasingly expensive fine Restaurants, its designers shopping areas, its touristy attractions and, of course ITS GREAT MUSEUMS.
This trip, as most of our visit to Paris, we scheduled our mandatory visit to a Museum that has a "soft spot" in my heart; MUSÉE d'ORSAY.
WHY IS THAT PREDILECTION...if there is also the great Louvre museum ?
My very particular predilection towards d'Orsay is simple....simply because there you can enjoy the greatest collection of the greatest artists from Impressionism, including Pre- and Post- Impressionism artistic movements.
I still remember how enjoyable were those visit, before d'Orsay era, to little, but pretty "Jeu de Paume" Museum, which holds before most of those great Paintings now brilliantly exposed at d'Orsay. If I'm not mistaken; those artworks were luckily gathered -at "Jeu de Paume" - since my birthday year, back in 1947. Afterwards that great collection was moved, along others, to its final resting place at d'Orsay, across Seine river, fronting Les Tuileries.
Since then, they became - with that Pyramided renovated Louvre Museum-
the greatest artwork complex of the World, with its beautifully worked Urban setting by those great gardens and the Seine river, with its also artistic and great historical bridges complexes.
Being myself; art lover, amateur painter and professional architect....
Walking around those areas is like being in heavens !
Then- Besides all above great Urbanist highlights- there is the masterfully architectural work of that olde Train Station, brilliantly reconstructed to became a Museum, to hold all those great artistic works. As an architect I can assure that it was not an easy-challenging-task; preserving the old building facade and its incredible interior works to be married with an incredible contemporary-trendy architecture with its multiple interior levels becoming non- greater spaces that holds different artworks masterpieces movements, all of then from what its called the "Modernist Era" (from late 1850's to late 1910's) from our Occidental World.
When d'Orsay opened, back in 1986, holding artistry in Painting, Sculpture, Decorative arts, Photography, Graphic arts and Architecture, began a new era in Museums, displaying all those manifestation of Cultural artwork. If it would be by my philosophical arts concepts It would be including; Fashion and Gastronomie !
All of those visitors interested in all kind - of those artistry- should be aware of that wide arts manifestation waiting to be appreciated there, at d'Orsay...hence proper time needs to be planned for a visit there. For that porpoises there are a nice Cafe - as La Campana (reviewed separately)- to better enjoy that visit, having a nice break for lunch.
For those who love painting, like myself, exposition by different segmented areas of Pre-Impressionism, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism are not great, but FANTASTIC ! ...Beyond those impressionists-which we just find out last week- in the lights of Provençal areas why they were so impress by it, they are artistry showed from Nabis movement, which I really love.
Without being pretentious I need to remark how great and interesting are those areas reserved for those artists from Renoir, Degas, Cezanne, Monet, Gauguin and Van Gogh to Matisse, Signac and Seurat -and-shortly, from there to Serusier, Derain, Bonnard and those pretty-fantastic-creative Nabis !
At the time of our visit-first days of last October 2015- they were showing
-by first time gathered at d'Orsay- the exposition with all artistry themes related to Prostitution, properly called "Splendeurs et Misseres- images de la Prostitution 1850-1910" It was great...really a fantastic arts selection.
Still fresh our past week in Provence, particularly interesting for us were the works of Cezanne on Mount Saint Victoire and Van Gogh lasts paintings, around Aix and Saint Remy respectively. Those you can appreciate in my pics.
Our Concierge service at our fantastic Lancaster Hotel took care for us of our entrance tickets, easing out our way into the Museum. That was great.
That night-as perfect day ending- we had reservations at "Maison Rostang" our long time favorite fine restaurant in Paris...
City of Lights, Great Museum, Superb shopping and Fine Gastronomy...
A Paradise for all who, like myself, love those "simple" pleasures of live !
...or for those others that just love touristing around, with a simple baguette under his arms, to be enjoyed in any of its myriad of perfect siting places.
That's why we -and many others- always will have our dearest Paris !