The Orsay Museum is home to French works of art from the 2nd half of the 19th century (from 1848 to 1914), holding one of the greatest collections of Impressionist art in the world, but also masterpieces of the Post-impressionism, Realism, Symbolism, Naturalism or Art Nouveau movement. The museum is located on the left bank of the Seine, across the Louvre, in a building that used to be a railway station built by Victor Laloux. The beautiful ornate glass train terminal, a Beaux-Arts architectural style masterpiece opened to the public 1900 but due to trains becoming more modern through the 20th century in 1973 it was abandoned and transformed in museum.

The Orsay Museum exhibits paintings, sculptures, indoor and outdoor architecture, decorative arts, photography, film and graphic arts works. You can find on display works of Cézanne, Sisley, Courbet, Rodin, Pissarro or Delacroix. Some of the most famous paintings at Orsay include Whistler's "Portrait of the Artist's Mother", Manet's "Déjeuner sur l'herbe", Monet's "La femme à l'ombrelle", Renoir's "Bal au moulin de la Galette, Montmartre", ballet scenes from Degas and Van Gogh's "Starry Night" or "Self Portait".

The museum is open on Tuesdays to Sundays from 9:30am to 6pm (9.45pm on Thursdays) and a ticket costs 7.5 euros (5.5 euros for children).

62 rue de Lille, 75343 Paris
Tel: (01) 4049 4872
Fax: (01) 4222 1184
E-mail: spa@musee-orsay.fr
http://www.musee-orsay.fr