The famous 19th century philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, once wrote, “As an artist, one has no home in Europe, except Paris.”

There is no better place that you can witness this home to artists than the Orsay Museum. Placed along the Seine River, it is located across from the famous Tuileries Gardens and overlooks the Paris skyline.

As part of a trio of buildings created for the Universal Exhibition of 1900, the museum tells a story; a story of modern art and modern times. There is no other museum in the world that tells this story in such a comprehensive and elaborate way through all art forms of the time. The exhibitions are based on the premise that no artwork can truly be understood without understanding the world it was created in.   

Our  tour will guide you through the museum as more than just a building in which to view art. The building itself is a work of art spanning more than a century, covered with layers of extensions, a testimony to the past era, just like the artwork. The idea of a museum as a place to exhibit the greatest achievements of humanity, was also born in the nineteenth century, and this museum is the embodiment of that idea.

Covering a span of seventy-seven years, the museum consists of artworks from one of the most prolific periods. It is like a microcosmic universe of the fin de siècle (end of the century) art, extremely compressed in the span of time but abundantly rich in content. Enveloping all the art forms of the period from painting to sculpture, from decorative arts to photography, Orsay Museum has almost 100,000 pieces in its collection- more than 5,000 of which are paintings, and almost 3,000 of them are on display. The museum with its riches tells a story of modern art and modern life; the life in which we also partake in.

We highly suggest you dedicate at least half a day to the museum because as you can see, there is so much to experience. There is a cafe inside where you can have something to eat and drink if you need a rest.

If you're ready, let’s get going!