The Musée de l'Orangerie () is an
art gallery of
Impressionist and
Post-Impressionist paintings located in the west corner of the
Tuileries Garden next to the
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde (; ) is a public square in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.
It was the s ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. The museum is most famous as the permanent home of eight large ''
Water Lilies'' murals by
Claude Monet
Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...
, and also contains works by
Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter whose work introduced new modes of representation, influenced avant-garde artistic movements of the early 20th century a ...
,
Henri Matisse,
Amedeo Modigliani,
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...
,
Pierre-Auguste Renoir,
Henri Rousseau
Henri Julien Félix Rousseau (; 21 May 1844 – 2 September 1910)
at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Gug ...
,
Alfred Sisley,
Chaïm Soutine,
Maurice Utrillo, and others.
Location
The gallery is on the bank of the
Seine
The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...
in the old
orangery of the
Tuileries Palace on the
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde (; ) is a public square in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.
It was the s ...
near the
Concorde metro station and not far from the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
and the
Musee d'Orsay.
History
Napoleon III had the Orangerie built in 1852, to store the citrus trees of the
Tuileries garden from the cold in the winter.
The building was built by architect Firmin Bourgeois (1786–1853). Bourgeois built the Orangerie out of glass on the (south) Seine side to allow light to the trees but the opposite (north) side is almost completely windowless to protect the citrus trees from the cold winds. Before the Orangerie was built, the trees were stored in the Grande Galerie of the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
. The main entrances on the east and west side of the building were decorated by architect
Louis Visconti (1791–1853) who is also known for his renovations on the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
. The columns located at the doors are topped by triangular pediments that were sculpted by Charles Gallois-Poignant. The tops of the columns represent cornucopias, plants and ears of corn that relate to the building's agricultural function. After the Fall of the Empire in 1870 and the fire at the
Tuileries Palace in 1871, the Orangerie became a property of the State, which continued to use the Orangerie in its original function as well as for public events such as music concerts, art expositions, contests and dog shows until 1922.
Monet's ''Water Lilies''
After
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, changes came to the Orangerie. In 1921, the State gave the building to the Under-Secretariat of State for Fine Arts along with another building, the
Jeu de Paume. The goal for these two buildings was to provide a space for living artists to display their works.
At the time,
Claude Monet
Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...
(1840–1926) was painting a series of ''
Water Lillies (Nymphéas)'' paintings for the State that were destined for another museum, the
Rodin. The President of the Council,
Georges Clemenceau (1841–1929), wanted the paintings placed in the Orangerie instead.
The ''Water Lillies'' donation to the Orangerie was finalized in 1922. Monet helped architect
Camille Lefèvre with the architectural design in which eight panels, each two metres high and spanning 91 metres in length, are arranged in two oval rooms which form the infinity symbol. Monet also required skylights for observing the paintings in natural light.
Due to the east to west orientation of the building the rooms are in the path of the Sun, which stretches along the same axis as the
Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...
to the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
. Originally, the museum was inaugurated on 17 May 1927 as the Musée Claude Monet, a few months after the artist's death. It was then annexed into the
Musée du Luxembourg and formally renamed the Musée National de l’Orangerie des Tuileries.
Exhibits between 1930 and 1950
The Orangerie was joined with the Louvre in 1930. The western half of the Orangerie was dedicated to temporary exhibitions for the Louvre and other national museums in France. Each year, the Orangerie hosted a variety of exhibitions. From 1930 to 1933, the Orangerie hosted an exhibition on
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
. In 1934, the exhibition ''Peintres de la realité'' (Painters of Reality) was dedicated to the 17th century and became famous. In 1936, the exhibition ''
Rubens et son temps (Rubens and his Age)'' attracted a million visitors to the museum. There was an entire exhibition dedicated to
Degas in 1937, titled in his name. In 1942, there was an exhibition dedicated entirely to
Arno Breker, who was an official artist of the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
and who studied in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. In 1946, after the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, many masterpieces from private collections were recovered in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
by the French Commission for Art Recovery and the
Monuments Men and they were displayed in the Orangerie.
The Orangerie and the
Jeu de Paume were allied with the Paintings Department of the Louvre. The
Réunion des Musées Nationaux organized successful exhibitions at the Orangerie between 1946 and 1960. The building of the
Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in 1964 was due to the success of the exhibitions of the Orangerie.
The Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume Collection
The
Jean Walter and
Paul Guillaume collections were acquired in 1959 and 1963 respectively. Domenica Walter (1898–1977) was the widow of both Paul Guillaume (1891–1934) and Jean Walter (1883–1957). Paul Guillaume was an art dealer and his desire was to create a museum of French modern art that would be open to the public.
When the State offered to show this collection at the Orangerie after his death, Domenica agreed. Olivier Lahalled (1960–1965) executed the renovation project to accommodate the new acquisition. The existing exhibition galleries were knocked down and two levels were added to the building. A staircase with a banister was designed by Raymond Subes (1893–1970) which replaced the entrance to the ''Water Lillies'' paintings and led to rooms that displayed the new collection. In 1966, the collection was publicly presented and inaugurated by the Minister of Culture,
André Malraux, however, Domenica officially owned the paintings until her death in 1977.
There was a third renovation project conducted between 1978 and 1984 to consolidate the buildings, refurbish the rooms and permanently house the collection which was given to the Orangerie after Domenica's death. The Orangerie then became separate from the administration of the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
and the
Jeu de Paume, whose impressionist paintings would be destined for the future
Musée d’Orsay.
Renovations between 2000 and 2006
The most recent renovation was made by Olivier Brochet between 2000 and 2006. The rooms that were previously constructed on two levels were knocked down and natural light was restored to the ''Water Lillies''.
In order to display the Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume collection, rooms were dug out of the basement level. Temporary exhibition spaces, an auditorium, an education space and a library were also created. The renovations were delayed and changed after the discovery of remains of the
Louis XIII wall which was constructed in 1566 to protect the
Tuileries Palace. The museum was reopened on 17 May 2006.
In 2010 the Orangerie and the
Musée d’Orsay were linked administratively under the Établissement public des musées d'Orsay et de l'Orangerie – Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (EPMO). On occasion, the Orangerie still hosts dance and piano concerts and other events in the restored ''Water Lillies'' gallery.
In popular culture
The Musée de l'Orangerie is the main story point of the 2000 French adventure PC game ''
Monet: The Mystery of the Orangery''.
The art gallery, specifically the ''Water Lilies'' paintings, was featured in
Woody Allen
Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...
's 2011 film ''
Midnight in Paris'' and
Mia Hansen-Løve’s 2022 film ''
One Fine Morning''.
Timeline
The official site of the Orangerie presents a full historical timeline.
Musée de l'Orangerie.
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See also
* List of tourist attractions in Paris
References
Bibliography
* Georgel, Pierre (trans. from the French by John Adamson) (2006). ''The Musée de l'Orangerie'' Paris: Éditions Gallimard/ Réunion des musées nationaux
* Hoog, Michel (trans. by Jean-Marie Clarke) (1989, reprinted 2006). ''Musée de l'Orangerie, les Nymphéas of Claude Monet'' Paris: Réunion des musées nationaux
* “2000–2006: a New Museum.” ''2000–2006: a New Museum , Musée De L'Orangerie'', 2019, www.musee-orangerie.fr/en/article/2000-2006-new-museum.
* “The Acquisition of the Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume Collection.” ''The Acquisition of the Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume Collection , Musée De L'Orangerie'', 2019, www.musee-orangerie.fr/en/article/acquisition-jean-walter-and-paul-guillaume-collection.
* “The Building from the Second Empire to the Water Lilies.” ''The Building from the Second Empire to the Water Lilies , Musée De L'Orangerie'', 2019, www.musee-orangerie.fr/en/article/building-second-empire-water-lilies.
* “Chronology.” ''Chronology , Musée De L'Orangerie'', 2019, www.musee-orangerie.fr/en/article/chronology.
* “The Installation of the Water Lilies.” ''The Installation of the Water Lilies , Musée De L'Orangerie'', 2019, www.musee-orangerie.fr/en/article/installation-water-lilies.
* Madeline, Laurence. ''La Collection Walter-Guillaume Et Les Nymphéas De Monet: Musée De L'Orangerie''. Nouvelles Éditions Scala, 2017.
* “Major Exhibitions at the Musée De L'Orangerie from the 1930s to the 1950s.” ''Major Exhibitions at the Musée De L'Orangerie from the 1930s to the 1950s , Musée De L'Orangerie'', 2019, www.musee-orangerie.fr/en/article/major-exhibitions-musee-de-lorangerie-1930s-1950s.
External links
*
Musée de l'Orangerie official site
360 degree view of Monet's ''Water Lilies''
provided by Google Arts & Culture
Virtual tour of the Musée de l'Orangerie
provided by Google Arts & Culture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Musee de l'Orangerie
Orangerie, Musee de l
National museums of France
Buildings and structures in the 1st arrondissement of Paris
Art museums and galleries established in 1927
1927 establishments in France