2023-06-19 10:16:41
The Musée d’Orsay is modifying the circulation, enlarging its space for temporary exhibitions and its hall, and reviewing the display of the permanent collections. It will be under construction from 2025 to 2027, without closing its doors.
Walls, collections, programming: the Musée d’Orsay, which has housed the treasures of Impressionism in Paris since 1986, will be given a facelift with major works planned from 2025 to 2027, a completely redesigned rehang and a program geared towards young people . For “to better welcome the public at the dawn of its 40th birthday, it is reinventing itself”announced Thursday, June 15, Christophe Leribault, president of the museum and its counterpart, the Orangerie, which houses the famous water lilies of Claude Monet, during a press conference.
In order to better welcome the public who have returned in force since the end of the health crisis with 3.2 million visitors in 2022 and 2 million since the start of the year, restoration work is planned from 2025 to 2027, without closure. of this museum installed in the former Gare d’Orsay, along the Seine.
The enlarged entrance hall
In addition to the renovation of the forecourt and the glass canopy of its entrance, the enlargement of the entrance hall is also planned in order to reduce queues as well. A separate exit from the main entrance will be created on the Seine side to improve traffic flow.
The space dedicated to temporary exhibitions is to be enlarged by the annexation of a 300 m2 gallery adjoining it, which can be used as needed, a great improvement given the number of visitors to major exhibitions. With 430,000 visitors already welcomed since the end of March, the current Manet/Degas exhibition is a victim of its own success, with the public sometimes regretting not being able to fully admire the works due to the crowds. The same goes for the one dedicated to Edvard Munch, which welcomed nearly 750,000 visitors between September 2022 and January 2023. A record for Orsay, which might still be surpassed by the exhibition on Vincent Van Gogh’s last months which will open its doors on October 3 next.
The redesigned permanent course
With a budget of 50 million euros from own funds, of which 25 million have yet to be found from sponsors, this work has become “required” in this museum originally designed to accommodate 1.5 million visitors a year, according to Christophe Leribault. The State subsidizes Orsay and the Orangerie to the tune of 1.5 million euros per year for historical monuments, i.e. 15 million over 10 years for the maintenance of the building, the largest item of expenditure for the establishment, independent of these works.
The route of the permanent collections has been completely redesigned with a re-hanging which must “give keys to the public” by better contextualizing the historical upheavals that underlie its production between 1848 and 1914, according to the president of the museum.
This repositioning of the collections around themes such as colonialism, democracy, war, animals or the female nude, was designed in close collaboration with the creation of a research center welcoming researchers, students and teachers, which is to open in 2027, close to the museum. At a cost of 25 million euros secured since the end of 2022, this center is intended to become a “high place of world research in art history on the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century”, according to Christophe Leribault.
Contemporary “counterpoints”
So that “19th century masterpieces continue to speak to 21st century audiences”, the temple of impressionism plans temporary exhibitions of contemporary artists offering “counterpoints” in the 19th century. An exhibition will be dedicated to the great British artist Peter Doig (born in 1959) from October 17th.
The Musée d’Orsay is opening up to urban aesthetics invited into its enclosure and continues to welcome children who are offered free artistic activities during school holidays in a sumptuous dedicated space. L’Orangerie, under the aegis of Claire Bernardi, has a space dedicated to toddlers.
From September to the end of 2024, the cultural program includes even more live performance with 50 additional events combining contemporary dance, hip-hop parades, lyrical singing, rap or creative readings. The season will open in mid-September with the performance of tightrope walker Nathan Paulin in a show choreographed by Rachid Ouramdane.
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