(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Paris 2. Le Musée d’Orsay The Orsay Museum Photographs © Patricia Barry 2007

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 1 This museum is opposite the Louvre It looks like a railway station and it was a railway station! After World War II when the art collections were reassembled, it was found that the Louvre was not big enough to store and present all the art works and sculptures.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 2 The Gare d’Orsay was a derelict station which was specially re-designed to house 19 th century art and sculpture. The Orsay Museum shows works dating between 1848 and 1915.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 3 The sculpture gallery is located between the platforms, where the rails once ran.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 4 This is the famous original gilded station clock which was restored.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 5 Above the original station, was a five star hôtel for weary travellers. This room was once the hôtel ballroom. It still has much of the original décor, but it is now a restaurant.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 6 The original station clock tower overlooks the Louvre museum.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 7 The central gallery is reserved for large sculptures The platforms on each side, and the other rooms, are reserved for 19 th century paintings, smaller sculptures and furniture.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 8 In this museum, you can see the impressionist works of Vincent Van Gogh.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 9 In the rooms upstairs, there are many of his works.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 10 This is Van Gogh’s painting of his room and his little bed.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 11 This is one of Monet’s famous works. The picture is enormous – As Monet liked to paint outside, transportation of his canvases caused big problems!

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 12 The garden and bridge at Monet’s house in Giverny. Monet painted outside which was unusual at this time. Again, this is a very large picture. He had to hoist the canvas using pulleys.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 13 Here you can see the sketches for Toulouse Lautrec’s famous posters for café concerts

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 14 The huge polar bear on the ground floor is a great favourite with younger children.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 15 Renoir’s dancers.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 16 Milet’s workers in the hayfield.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 17 Among the exhibits is a wonderful model of Haussmann’s Paris in the 19 th century. Here is part of the opened out view of the Opéra house.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 18 Many of the original sculptures, for example from the Arc de Triomphe, are to be found here.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 19 This painting is by Renoir It shows ordinary people enjoying their Sunday day off in a café in Montmartre

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 20 This style of painting using dots is known as ‘pointillisme’

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 21 Dégas was a painter and a sculptor These little figures of ballet dancers measure only 7 or 8 cm.

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 22 This is Dégas’ best known work. It is known as “La danseuse”

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 23 Gaugin went to live in Tahiti There he painted pictures of typical Polynesian life

(c) Patricia Barry 2007 Le Musée d’Orsay 24 Le Musée d’Orsay at night. These were some of its treasures. Au revoir!