When I was planning my visit to Paris, I discovered the Musee de l'Orangerie. It's located to the side of the Tuileries, which worked well for me because I already knew I wanted to visit the gardens. But what really drew me to this small museum is that it's the home of Monet's Water Lilies (AKA Les
Nymphéas). First of all, Monet himself donated them to the museum (in the hopes of brightening people's spirits after WWI) and he arranged their placement for ideal lighting and viewing. You really can't ask for a better exhibit than one set up by the artist. I also never realized how big the paintings are--they're massive. They alone are worth a stop here, but the museum is also home to many excellent works of art by artists including Picasso, Renoir, Gauguin, Modigliani, Cezanne, and Sisley. There's a great sculpture gallery as well.
Tip: The Musee de l'Orangerie and Musee d'Orsay offer a double pass (or billet jumelé) that gets you into both museums at a reduced rate (I think it's good for four or five days, with one visit to each museum). If you buy it at l'Orangerie, which should have pretty short lines since it's relatively small and, it seems, not as popular with tourists, you can then skip the line at d'Orsay (which was insane when I visited). The 'skip the line' option is the best thing ever.
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| Bouquet by Renoir, 1900 |
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| Paysage by Gauguin, 1901 |
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| Grand Nature Morte by Picasso, 1917-1918 |
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| This was the only sculpture inside the museum I got a photo of because, despite asking if taking photos was okay (and being told yes, but no flash), a guard jumped on me (not literally) as soon as I took this (without flash, for the record). She also made a big deal because I (horrors!) entered the gallery from the wrong end. Oh no--someone might see the artwork in a different order than the museum intended! Yeah, I wasn't impressed with her and her overzealousness. Anyway, there was a corresponding "unhappy" anima on the other side of this one. Together, they were striking. |
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| This is just outside the Musee de l'Orangerie. It's a 1930s copy of Rodin's original marble statue. |
Next Post: Paris Part 3
Missed one of my posts about France?
Provence the Beautiful
Paris: Part 1
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