7th ARR-INTRODUCTION TO THE MUSEE D'ORSAY
Jack
http://i.am/jack_travel and on http://home.earthlink.net/~primos
Also my Paris sketches are on http://i.am/jack_travel
7th ARR-INTRODUCTION TO THE MUSEE D'ORSAY
Times are over when the irritated Parisian wondered why they needed a
new museum in a city already crawling in these institutions. Could he
suspect that the Musee Du Jeu de Paume, opened in 1947 to display the
impressionist paintings from the Louvre museum, next to the light of
the Tuileries would be packed and become much too small to house the
constant growing collection? But sometimes different circumstances
can end up to a magnificent ending. At the very moment that the
"Direction of French museums" was looking desperately for now oxygen
to display all these masterpieces, the enormous, ram shackled nave of
the gare d'Orsay, only used for suburb transport, was doomed for
destruction. The transfer for the paintings of the Jeu de Paume was
decided.
But what was this gare d'Orsay and what is its story? The station was
built in a record time, from 1898 until 1900 by architect Victor
Laloux. For that epoch the construction was daring, with an enormous
metallic structure heavier than the Eiffel Tower. The nave is wider
and longer than Notre Dame! The building was ready exactly on time for
world fair of 1900. It was set just on the left bank side of the Seine
in order that the passengers arriving from the south of France should
be right away in the middle of the city. Wealthy passengers could stay
in a large luxury hotel right next to the station, one of the last
examples of "1900 eclectic-rococo-Napoleon III"
But the station was only used during 30 years. The French railways
switched to electricity in 1935 and the gare d'Orsay lost its
importance. Trains became too long for the 135 meters long platforms
that were too short and impossible to extend. The activity of the long
distance trains from the south east returned naturally to the gare
d'Austerlitz and Orsay was temporarily occupied by the theatre
Renaud-Barrault, eternal vagabond. The luxury hotel continued for a
while, lost star after star and had to close in 1970. The Orsay
station, gigantic building, 32 m high and 140 m long was left to the
rats. In 1962, the decay of the station was so terrible that Orson
Welles used the place to shoot his movie "Le Proces" and Bertolucci a
few scenes of "The Conformist".
In 1971 the municipality decided it was time to erase this building
from the landscape of Paris. But the public opinion is slowly
beginning to be roused about the possible disappearance of an
exemplary witness of the metallic architecture of the 19th century.
Finally, under the presidency of Georges Pompidou, Jacques Duhamel,
minister of Culture, saves the gare d'Orsay and puts the station on
the list of Inventory of Historic Monument! The idea to make a museum
of it aroused in 1977 when the problems with the Jeu de Paume began.
President Giscard d'Estaing gave finally the final push to begin a
long and costly renovation of 1.5 billion FF. Renaud Bardon, Pierre
Colboc and Jean-Paul Philippon worked out the conception but the main
author of the interior adaptations was from an
Italian woman architect Gae Aulenti. A lot of unexpected problems
arose like an adequate air conditioning, the eventual tides of the
Seine, the vibrations of the R.E.R. running under the building, adapt
the and lighting to such an enormous structure. Soon, money and
financing became a problem but the arrival of Mitterand as president
stopped all uncertainty: the project had to be realized! With a simple
pen signature the budget was tripled!
Gae Gaulenti imagined the museum on 5 levels. The monumental nave, a
central alley giving you the impression to enter a cathedral more than
a museum has numerous sculptures and climbs slowly in ascending
landings, leading on each side to a suite of small galleries
displaying the great influent painting tendencies of the 19th century,
starting from realism to impressionism, from romanticism (Delacroix)
to neo-classicism (Ingres). Then a suite of terraces, leading to other
galleries. On the second floor the impressionist galleries are THE
great attraction of the museum. There is much more room here, the
lighting is as good as it was in the Jeu de Paume but the aeration and
air-conditioning are not to compare.
The Routard reminds us that Gaulenti was soon criticized by some, (I
quote): denouncing the "pharaonism" (bad tongues even said
"mussolinian style") and principally the 2 enormous blockhouses in the
back. Just jealousy!! Let's give Gae Aulenti the credit having
succeeded to multiply the volumes and the architectural surprises: the
visitor is not obliged to pass through dozens of identical galleries.
And the displayed works have the advantage of 17000 square meter of
display surface, zenithal and natural lighting." (end of quote)
In next article I will give a few practical hints and begin a more
detailed visit of the museum.
Bibliography: --Vie et histoire des arrondissements de Paris,
ed.Hervas, 1985-1988, 20 volumes- Le piéton de Paris, by L.P. Fargue,
ed.Gallimard 1997-Rive Gauche, une expérience unique, by Cl.Evrard,
ed.Albin 1991--Guides du Routard 1998, ed.Hachette, Les 20
arrondissments de Paris, by Martine Constans, Renaissance du Livre
1998--Orsay museum in Parijs, by H.Witteveen, ed.Spectrum
Jack
My Paris,Provence and Cote d'Azur posts are open again at
http: http://i.am/jack_travel WITH pictures and at
http://home.earthlink.net/~primos