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Where can you find the Musée d'Orsay

Next to the Palace of the Legion of Honour, on the quai Anatole France and across the rue de Bellechasse, is the old Orsay station.

History

Built in the year 1900 by Victor Laloux, this train station was meant to service the Orleans line. Unfortunately, the line ceased because the platforms were not long enough. After being used for a variety of purposes, the whole building was entirely refitted inside and transformed into an art museum covering the period from 1850 to 1914, with an area of 50 000 m2.

The conversion of this abandoned train station, the Gare d'Orsay, into the Musee d'Orsay marked a major advance in the reorganization of the different collections. The museum is devoted to all art forms from the second half of the 19th century (painting, sculpture, architecture, music and items trom everyday life). Significant Impressionist and neo-lmpressionist works are on display, as well as the creations of the more conservative academic school that was also known as Pompier in France. Art-Nouveau objects and blue-prints complement the collections.

Design

The giant, 32-m-high (102-ft) and 140 m-long (450-ft) main hall ol the station, artfully surrounded by a delicate iron construction enabling the abundant use of glass, was deserted by all, except for the rats. By the 1960s, the dilapidation had progressed to the point that Orson Welles chose it as a backdrop tor his filming of Kafka's The Trial. And in 1971 it was finally decided to tear the building down.
Fortunately, this did not occur and during Georges Pompidou's term of office as president, the idea of transforming the train station into a museum first emerged. His successor, Giscard d'Estaing, eventually gave the go-ahead for the time-consuming and expensive renovations. The work began in 1980. Some 270 million U.S. dollars flowed out of the taxpayers' pockets before President Miterrand could proceed to ceremoniously dedicate it.