The Musee de l’Orangerie occupies a prestigious location along the bank of the Seine and was once intended as the green house of the Tuileries Palace. Due to its prestigious location the green house was designed in a classical manner unlike a common green house structure. The south wall is made of glass whilst the north wall is made of rock. As a token of celebration at the end of World War I, renowned artist Claude Monet wished to donate two of his acclaimed water lilies paintings to the State. The Orangerie was therefore renovated in order to accommodate these paintings plus an additional five water lily paintings were donated by Monet which stretched out to 100 meters and 2 meters in height. Unfortunately five months prior to the opening of the converted Orangerie Museum, Monet passed away. His 8 stunning works were however displayed under direct diffused light as he wished in two oval rooms. Towards the latter part of the 1950’s a vast collection of post impressionist and impressionist paintings from the collection of Paul Guillaume and Jean Walter were also donated to the Museum. An additional floor was built in order to accommodate the over 100 new works of various artists such as Picasso, Matisse, Renoir, Derain, Cezanne, Utrillo etc. The oval rooms continued to house ‘Les Nympheas’ as the water lily paintings were known. In August 1999 the museum closed for extensive renovation. However prior to this, a massive special exhibition featuring at least 60 of the 250 Les Nympheas paintings were gathered together. The renovations took 6 years and reopened in 2006. The new layout features an entry point of a small ivory white painted circular room with a single skylight that enables visitors to divest the colours of the outdoors brought with them and prepares them for the riot of colours that await them within the museum. The lower level oval rooms now hold the paintings of other artists whilst the upper level contains the water lilies. A stunning sight to visit, with hopes of temporary exhibits as well, the Musee de l’Orangerie is a treasure trove of visual bliss. If you are looking for Palace hotels Paris for accommodation then the elegant sophistication in a luxury hotel Paris is what you are looking for. Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris offers an artistically imaginative setting which inspires awe.
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