Admire Monet's Water Lilies and more Impressionist masterpieces inside
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The Musée de l'Orangerie in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris. The museum is known for its collection of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings, particularly its display of Claude Monet's ‘Water Lilies’ (Les Nymphéas) series, which Monet donated to the French state at the end of World War I. It was his way of showing his thanks to his country. His condition of the gift was that they must be displayed in a suitable venue and the government chose the Orangerie in Tuileries Gardens as the perfect spot.
Another important collection at the museum is the 'The Walter-Guillaume Collection' which belonged to the late art dealer Paul Guillaume and his wife Domenica. The collection covers works from the first decades of the 20th century. Paul wanted to open his own museum to display his collection but sadly he died in 1934 and didn't fulfil his dream. His wife gave some of the collection to the French state in 1960, of which some is on show in the museum. The impressionist collection includes pieces by Renoir, Cézanne, Gauguin, Monet & Sisley.
The museum itself is housed in an elegant building that was originally constructed in 1852 to protect the orange trees of the garden during the winter months. It was then converted into an art gallery in the early 20th century.
One of the museum’s famous features is its oval-shaped rooms that were specifically designed to showcase Monet's ‘Water Lilies’ paintings. The series he created towards the end of his life, and are now considered to be masterpieces of the impressionist movement. The rooms design allows you to immerse yourself in the series that shows depictions of his beloved water garden in Giverny.
The museum also features works by other notable artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including works by:
The Musée de l'Orangerie allows visitors to enjoy some of the most iconic works of the impressionist and post-impressionist periods.