Friday, July 6, 2012

Musee d'Orsay

By the time we got to the Musee d'Orsay, "home" of the Impressionist work in Paris and one of my favorites,we were close to "museumed out."
Nonetheless, it remained a beautiful spot, somewhat less crowded than the Louvre.
Later, we learned that no photos were allowed in this museum. These are some I took before that lesson! (Unfortunately, that occurred before I hit the Impressionists!)
The sculpture is beautiful -- this is a favorite.
And this is the same display -- you can see how large it is, with Rick for comparison.
 
I was also partial to these scale models of the Paris Opera Garnier. (Keep scrolling down my posts for a visit to that beautiful spot!)
 
They captured the detail of the Hall of Mirrors.
 
And again, to get a sense of scale -- it was quite large indeed!
 
I was fond of this painting -- I wish I could remember the artist. It depicts an art auction.
 
This glass piece was in a room with Toulouse Lautrec paintings. It is not by him.
There is quite a famous clock when you enter this former train station that is now the home of works by the great artists of Impressionism. This is a different one, looking outside at a marvelous view. 
It attracted quite the crowd, and no wonder.
 
It overlooked the marvelous view of Montmartre, far in the distance.
 
Rick was ecstatic to see a photo of his hero, Victor Hugo, taken by the writer's son, Charles. 
Any museum can be exhausting. The ones near the end of a trip, all the more so.
This is the photo that got me busted -- we just happened to be sitting under a security camera! (And I really didn't note that there were NO photos -- I thought there was "no flash" like the Louvre.) Rick wasn't alone being tired! (No one was worrying about photos here!)
 
As we left, we enjoyed some "street theatre" outside the museum.
It was rather fun to watch the musician and his "comic relief" who followed passers by! They attracted quite the audience!
We were off to the Tuileries en route to dinner! More on that later!

Tips for Museum Going

1) Photo signs are done with pictures. Look at them carefully. This was the only museum we visited where photos weren't allowed. Several years ago they were and you can find pix of my favorites here. (check Musee d'Orsay on my sidebar labels to see paintings.)

2) If you want to live dangerously, at least look up before shooting! If you see a video camera, beware!

3) Don't forget to explore the Museum Pass for the best prices. It may or may not work with your schedule, but it is definitely worth a look.

4) If you are planning on a museum for something in particular, it helps to start there. While it was intriguing for me to follow the progression from the more realistic art to the Impressionists, we really didn't have much time when we finally reached them to fully enjoy.

This post is part of the Paris in July posts, hosted by Bookbath and Thyme for Tea.. Please visit the link on my sidebar to see more posts set in or related to Paris.

25 comments:

Angelsdoor * Penny said...

Good evening Jeanie,
Oh how I wish I was there.. Maybe one day... Beautiful photos..
Thank you so much for visitng and leaving such kind words. It was so nice to have a visit from you.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
fondly,
Penny

Sally Wessely said...

Wonderful photos, even if they were illegal. TeeHee. I'm glad my friend did not end up in jail, although that would have made for a very interesting post. I can just see it, "Tour of the City Jail in Paris."

Joanne Huffman said...

Love the illicit photos. I understand the no flash thing, but I suspect the no pictures thing is so that the gift shops make more money.

Jeanie said...

I am glad you got the pictures you did before you got "busted". I saw the guards being none to gentle with a woman taking pictures in Westminter Abbey....they made her delete her pictures and threatened to confiscate her camera if she didn't delete them all.

Anonymous said...

Thanks again for your gorgeous pictures. the painting about the art auction is Une séance du jury de peinture au Salon des Artistes français, by Henri Gervex.

I found it this way: I got the URL of your picture [in Mozilla Firefox, you click on View Image to get the url . in IE it's under image properties]. and then you go to Google images, you paste the url, and go, et voilà! it shows you other similar pictures

http://www.art.com/products/p8087001038-sa-i5124221/henri-gervex-une-seance-du-jury-de-peinture-au-salon-des-artistes-francais-1883.htm?sorig=cat&sorigid=0&dimvals=5033660&ui=4a46f6abf3914f6e869876523927a859

Introverted Art said...

I had the same experience in a museum in England... I was shooting away until I was politely asked to put the camera away :P

Mae Travels said...

Did you see the movie "Hugo" -- takes place in Paris in a train station with a clock. I loved it for itself AND Paris! Very nice post, too.

Barb said...

Museum exhaustion - I think I've had that malady, too! Glad they didn't haul you off to jail, Jeanie. I suppose you and Rick are now watching the Tour - you should have stayed for it!

Alan Labovitz said...

This was my favorite museum in Paris. We must have been there before they stopped allowing pictures because everyone was taking pictures and so were we. We went to the top floor first and the first picture I saw was Whistler's Mother. I thought this was really cool since most of the pictures in the museum were by French artists and this was by an American.

Bella Rum said...

Love the snoozing pic. I once wrote a post about sleeping in public. There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who can sleep in public and those who can not. My husband can sleep anywhere. I can barely sleep in my own room, own bed with my own pillow, lights out and perfect temperature. I rather be the other type.

ds said...

Your photos are all the more wonderful for being "forbidden", Jeanie. I so love the Musee d'Orsay with its wonderful clocks, and all of those marvelous Impressionist paintings. Thank you for sharing.

The Artful Diva said...

I'm a little behind in my blog hopping this week. You always comes up with the best ideas for your blog posts. Aren't you glad you have a digital camera? Can you imagine hauling all that film around and the expense...

Arti said...

The Musee d'Orsay is my favorite museums. It's impressive not in the way like The Louvre, all classical and formidable, but it's very welcoming, bright and contemporary inside an awesome historic train station. Thanks for sharing your photos... they are precious indeed. ;) Also, I've noticed the lovely and moving tribute you've posted on your sidebar saying Goodbye to Mr. Gyps. Even someone with ailurophobia can appreciate your deep sentiments.

joyce said...

I think I'd be museaumed out by now too...gosh, how many are there in France? And as far as the no taking photos goes, "It's only illegal if you get caught"..one of my favourite sayings.

Tracy said...

HI, Jeanie! Catching up, and thrilling to more of your Parisian adventures... Had to laugh seeing Rick and other snoozing in the Musee d'Orsay... You've all got "Muesum Fatigue"?! ;o) I look forward to the day when we go to the Musee d'Orsay, as we have a great fondness for Impressionism art. :o) Happy Days, my friend ((HUGS))

shoreacres said...

I loved the pics of you and Rick in a state of museum-exhaustion! There are times when there's just not one more step left. You did the reasonable thing!

The clock you show is amazing. I'm wondering - is this clock related? I used the photo in a blog entry, but never could find out where it was from!

Those are good museum tips, too. The one about "see your special interest first" is especially good. It reminds me of "Life is short - Eat Dessert First!"

PeterParis said...

There are some different rules, when it comes to photos or not, sometimes difficult to understand. I guess we already talked about the "no photos" at Sacré Coeur, whereas photos are allowed in all other Paris catholic churches... and of course in some sense it's a nuisance when you pass in front of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre and can hardly see it because of all people taking their photo in front of it. (Fortunately there are some other da Vinci paintings without people in front.)

Orsay just got a new little statue. The "original" Statue of Liberty, much smaller, mades some twenty years earlier than the NY one and which you used to find in the Luxemburg Gardens.

Esme said...

Thank you for visiting, no matter how I often I have been to the or say there is always something new to discover

Toriz said...

Oops about getting busted with the camera. Still, glad you enjoyed!

(Sorry for the delay in commenting here; I've been unwell and hiding in words - in other words, reading books and working on writing projects - to make myself feel better, and blogs haven't really been featuring in my list of priority activities... Nothing personal, I've bearly even been on my own blog, and haven't commented on anyone else's for close to a week!)

Marilyn Miller said...

I love this museum and definitely would choose to return before returning to the Lourve. Don't feel bad, I got caught taking pictures too. All they can say is to stop. I will watch for the cameras the next time. Thanks for the visit. I love that clock and the view too.

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

I totally did not know that photos were not allowed! I took some of the impressionist photos - that was my favorite area of the museum. d'Orsay is def my favorite music. I love the building itself, and I love that it's not super overwhelming, unlike the Louvre!

Jo Tracey said...

My hubby doesn't enjoy museums, but his favourite memories of Paris are people watching in the gardens nearby while I enjoyed them :)

jet1960 said...

Reading backwards. Bummer about getting caught. I would have done the same thing probably, lol. Would be hard to drag me out of these places. Kerry is not a museum person and doesn't understand why I want to look at everything! His idea is go stand in the middle of the room, then leave!

The French Hutch said...

Jeanie, I feel like we must travel together! We seem to enjoy the same sights and Museums. So many memories comes flooding back after reading this post. The only difference we were able to make photos during the early trips. Another great post.

~Emily
the French Hutch

fred said...

Hello,
I just wanted to tell you that the big painting you loved is called 'A Painting Jury' by Henri gervex. 1885.
It is the selection of paintings to be hung in the salon exhibition by the committee.
I was at the Musée d'Orsay on Sunday, and wallowed in the best art in Paris.
julia

Popular Posts