The+Musée+de+l’Orangerie

= The Musée de l’Orangerie =

Paris - 1st arrondissement
The Musée de l’Orangerie is an art museum in Paris which holds many major 20th century pieces of artwork. It is located in the west corner of the Tuileries Gardens along the Seine river, near the Louvre. One of its most famous and popular exhibits is Claude Monet’s Water Lilies exhibit.

The building, of the current Musée de l’Orangerie, was built in 1852 as a winter shelter for orange trees the Tuileries Gardens. It was designed by architect Firmin Bourgeois to resemble a greenhouse. The southern façade, which faces the river, was made with glass to let in the sun’s light and heat, becoming a “waterfront terrace.” In 1860 the building became property of the state which then used it to store trees and hold various events, such as: horticultural events, musical and artistical shows, banquets, contests, dog shows, etc. until 1922. After WWII, the state assigned the building to the Beaux Arts Administration, becoming a space to exhibit works of art from living artists. This is when it was suggested to put Monet’s donated Water Lilies into the Orangerie. Claude Monet worked alongside architect Camille Lefevre to create the Water Lilies display. The display covers eight panels which are each two meters high spanning a length of ninety-one meters, in two oval rooms. This display was meant to symbolize infinity. Natural light shines in on the paintings to “immerse visitors in a state of grace.” The eastern half of the building then became known as Musée Claude Monet after his death in 1927.

The Musée Claude Monet was attached with the Musée du Luxembourg, the museum for living artists. Together they formed what is today known as, Musée National de l’Orangerie des Tuileries. Many major temporary exhibitions of work from many living, French artists came to Musée de l’Orangerie between 1930 and 1960. In 1959, a restoration was conducted by Domenica Walter to bring in a collection of artwork from architect and industrialist Jean Walter and art dealer Paul Guillaume. Her purpose was to create the first museum of French modern art open to the public. A second restoration was carried out by architect Olivier Lahalle from 1960 to 1965. This construction added two levels to the building, obscuring the natural light from the Water Lilies exhibition. The entrance to this exhibit was also modified, adding a monumental staircase with a banister designed by Raymond Subes. A third renovation from 1978 to 1984 permanently housed the “Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume Collections.” Also in 1984 the Orangerie became an independent national museum.

Final restorations took place from 2000 to 2006 by architect Olivier Brochet where the two additional floors were again knocked down to restore natural light to the Water Lilies exhibition and rooms in the basement were created for the “Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume Collections.” During this renovation, archaeological excavations revealed vestiges of the ancient ramparts of the Tuileries Gardens’ “yellow ditches” from the 16th century.

With the museum re-opening in 2006, the Realist Painters exhibition of 1934 was brought to the museum. Today the museum consists of this exhibit, the “Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume Collections,” Monet’s Water Lilies, and many temporary exhibits. The current temporary exhibit is “Apollinaire, the Vision of the Poet.” The Musée de l’Orangerie is a great museum to find modern artwork from French artists.