Getting into the Musée d’Orsay before it opens to the public is a dream, but spending an entire day when the crowds are low is even better.
I have screamed from the rooftops the greatest benefit of being a member of the Musée d’Orsay. Each Carte Blanche member is able to visit each morning at 9:00 am, 30 minutes before the doors open to the public. For the price of 2 ½ visits you can become a member, so if you love the Impressionists and want to explore it even for a short period of time alone purchase the membership and enjoy a few quiet moments alone with the masters.
Normally I arrive early and stand in the special little line to get inside at 9:00 and then I enjoy those perfect uninterrupted moments letting the art speak to me before the rooms are filled with people. Once the museum is buzzing with people I venture out and onto my next stop only to return again a few mornings later to do the same thing.
I always have my trusty Moleskine notebook that I fill with notes, observations, inspirations and adding to my long list of things to research and share. The Orsay is constantly moving things so what was once on the wall Tuesday can suddenly be gone come Wednesday morning. It is the downside of really knowing a museum, especially if it is something that you love.
Recently I decided to spend an entire winter day in the Orsay and take advantage of the lack of visitors and to even enjoy the lovely restaurant that dates back to the original train station.
On this day I decided to explore the rooms on the south side of the lowest level. Since the fall they had moved all of the paintings from the collection of Dr. Gachet, my favorite Manet paintings and the paintings that give us a peek into the life of Degas. I recently shared the room in a video as well as the story of Dr Gachet, who is better known as the doctor to Vincent van Gogh but was also friends with many of the painters of the time. His large collection was given to the Orsay by his children that included van Gogh, Cézanne, Monet and Pissarro.
Being able to stand in front of many of these paintings in total silence and without the distraction of shutters clicking or notifications on a dozen cell phones is a spiritual experience. Just stop and stand there and look, really LOOK. Think of the Manet standing at his easel in 1872 and looking at the dark haired beauty Berthe Morisot. Dressed all in black there is a small bunch of violets held within the button of her jacket. Manet was obsessed with the Spanish look and Berthe’s dark features he had to capture as soon as he met her in the salles of the Louvre where she and her sister Edme were training as copyists. It was the beginning of a long friendship that inspired each other and she would later marry his brother.
I think of all these things as I stand there and look into her deep dark eyes. It is one of my favorite paintings and I always pay her a visit.
When I say that I spend an entire day for most that could be enough to visit the entire museum. For me its a dozen or so rooms. As I take in every single detail and make notes and even stop to search for more info on the internet it can be an hour or two just in one small room with a dozen paintings. IT IS PURE AND TOTAL BLISS. On this day as I moved down a long hall I can always see the guards keeping an eye on me. Many times the guards eventually walk up to me and ask what I am writing or just want to let me know that they rarely see someone really take time to look at the art. It usually leads to a long conversation, en francais, about the art or what I do and these chats always leave me with the biggest smile.
The ability to share and talk with someone that also loves the art or even just appreciates it are the moments that always make me sad as I leave Paris. It is those moments that I can’t replicate when I am not there. I treasure each one of them, some of these have even led to a coffee date, but those are stories for another time.
On this January Tuesday I hadn’t planned to stay all day but it just happened. As I began to get a little hungry and wanted to sit and write the many things flying in my head I decided to dine in the beautiful restaurant in the Orsay with a view of the Seine and Eiffel Tower. I have walked by it many times noticing the beautiful chandeliers and ceiling but always kept on my way.
A restaurant has been in this spot since the train station first opened in 1900 and the beautiful painted ceilings survive from that period. It’s hard to decide where to look, out the window or up at the ceiling the entire time you enjoy the wonderful meal presented. Some of the entrees and plates on their own could add up but like many a great restaurant in Paris they have a formule dejeuner to choose from. For 27€ you can have either a entrée + plat or plat + dessert and the choices are fantastic.
I had the Fin pâté de canard en croûte, pickles d’oignon et jus vinaigré (crusted duck pate, onion pickles, vinaigrette) first, followed by the Travers de porc laqué, salad croquante et pomme Anna (lacquered pork ribs, crunchy salad, Anna potatoes). And it was all amazing! As I sat there with my glass of Les Plantagenêts Saumur from the Loire I looked out into the blue skies of Paris towards the Seine and thought about how perfect this truly was.
The stunning high ceilings are crowned with the times of the day and four seasons by Gabriel Ferrier. The room is classified as a historical treasure and it’s bright airy golden touches are impossible not to fall in love with. Definitely stop for a lovely lunch or dinner on your next trip to the Orsay.
Afterwards, it was shocking how quiet the museum was so I kept on exploring. This time to the upper galleries on the south side. Lining the open terrace are the sculptures of Albert Bartholomé, Bourdelle, Renoir, Camille Claudel and Maillol who will soon be a star of his own exhibition in the Orsay. In the side rooms you can find the Nabis and Henri Rousseau who I adore and a special small exhibit of contemporary art inspired by Beaudilare.
Back to the main level where I left off before lunch and the amazing academie paintings with their almost translucent glowing skin steeped in mythology and even a Delacroix or two. Filling sixty or so pages of notes, happy as can be it was time to leave but of course there is always a stop in the Orsay bookshop. Somehow there is always someone or something new I just discovered and must see if they have a book on the subject, they get me every time.
As the sun is setting I walk down the way to the terrace of La Frégate for a little hydration as well as a moment to reflect on everything I just saw. With the Orsay to my left and the Louvre straight in front of me it is sitting at the intersection of my heart and every moment spent there is amazing.
For more about the Musée d’Orsay check out my YouTube for videos inside and outside of the Orsay and also the special episode of La Vie Creative - Paris History Avec a Hemingway we did in honor of it’s 35th birthday back in December.
Coming to Paris this spring and want a guided tour of the Orsay and learn all the stories behind the paintings and sculptures? Contact me today to schedule your tour, spots are filling up. All my tours are private and custom to exactly what you want to see.
Email me today at claudine@claudinehemingway.com for more info.
