In 1852, Emperor Napoleon III said (in French), "We need a new place to store our orange trees during winter." The orange trees were displayed outdoors in the Tuileries garden during spring, summer and autumn. Within a few months, l'Orangerie was built in the Tuileries garden.
According to Musee-Orangerie.fr: "The structure closely resembles a greenhouse: its southern façade facing the river is made of glass to let in the light and the heat from the sun. The opposite façade, facing the rue de Rivoli, is almost entirely windowless so as to avoid the north winds." Until 1922, the Orangerie was "used to store the orange trees and as the setting for various events: horticultural, musical and artistic shows, banquets, contests, dog shows, etc."
In 1922, the Orangerie was repurposed as an art museum. Today, the Musée de l'Orangerie is dedicated to Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. So, if either of those art movements is your cup of tea, then a visit is recommended, because the collection is wonderful. Let's take a tour together.
The Walter/Guillaume Collection: The permanent exhibition includes 100+ Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings from the collection of a Parisian art dealer who was also a collector. Below are paintings by Soutine, Utrillo and Modgliani.
Greg especially likes the next painting, because it perfectly captures the personality of a typical Parisian waiter.
Greg liked the next two paintings--one a landscape and the other a Cézanne-like still-life--because they are representational but then twisted like a Van Gogh painting.
There are many streets in Montmartre like the painting below.
The collection also includes a lovely portrait of Coco Chanel.
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