Musée d'Orsay

About Musée d'Orsay

Known worldwide for its Impressionist collection, the Musée d'Orsay houses works from all artistic movements of the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Thanks to the multidisciplinary nature of its collections, the constantly renewed approach to them, and its location in the heart of Paris's cultural and tourist scene, the Musée d'Orsay has attracted nearly one hundred million visitors since its opening in 1986. The Musée d'Orsay presents Western art from 1848 to 1914, a period marked by profound societal changes that gave birth to numerous artistic movements: Realism, Impressionism, Symbolism, Fauvism, Art Nouveau… Its multidisciplinary collections include masterpieces of painting, including those by Courbet, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin, as well as sculpture, decorative arts, and photography. Since 1986, the Musée d'Orsay has continuously enriched its collections with new acquisitions and offered the public large-scale exhibitions, reflecting its scientific rigor and often engaging with major contemporary issues. The museum is also committed to varying its approaches to the works it exhibits, through renewed scenography, more interactive mediation, both on-site, online, and off-site, and through events, performances, and conferences in its auditorium or halls. Located in a former railway station built in 1900 for the Universal Exhibition, it is situated on the left bank of the Seine, opposite the Louvre Museum and the Tuileries Garden, which houses the Musée de l'Orangerie.