Musée d'Orsay

Musée d’Orsay is an art museum on the Left Bank of the Seine in Paris housed in the former Gare d’Orsay railway station, a Beaux-Arts building completed for the 1900 Exposition Universelle. The museum opened in 1986 and contains one of the world’s largest collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art.

Large galleries of paintings by Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir and Van Gogh, a long central nave that displays major works and sculptural pieces, and preserved station features such as the giant clocks. The collection focuses on the period from roughly 1848 to 1914 and includes paintings, sculptures, furniture and photography.

The station building was constructed around the turn of the 20th century and later repurposed when the rail terminals moved to other locations; the conversion to a museum was completed in the 1980s. The repurposing retained many original architectural elements while creating exhibition spaces across multiple levels.

Musée d’Orsay sits on the left bank of the Seine between the Louvre and the river, opposite the Tuileries and within central Paris, easily reached on foot or by RER and Métro services.

• Collection scope: Collections focus on art from about 1848 to 1914, making it the principal Paris museum for Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting outside the Louvre.
• Building and logistics: The museum building is a converted Beaux-Arts railway station dating to 1900; allow time to move between floors as galleries are spread across several levels.

What to See #

• Central nave (former train hall): The museum's central nave is the former Gare d'Orsay train hall, a long, glass-roofed space that now displays major temporary exhibitions and large-scale works.
• Impressionist and Post-Impressionist galleries: Upper-floor galleries house the museum's Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collections, including works by Monet, Degas, Renoir and Van Gogh from the mid-19th to early 20th century.
• Station clocks and viewpoint: The giant station clocks at each end of the building are preserved features that also serve as popular photo viewpoints over the Seine and cityscape.