At the heart of Paris, on the left bank of the Seine, stands Musée d’Orsay (Orsay Museum). It is opposite the Tuileries Gardens, near the Louvre. It was inaugurated in December 1986 and is exceptionally well located, being housed in an extremely original building, a former train station.

It has been a very rare occasion that I have visited Paris and not been to Musée d’Orsay, home to a collection of masterpieces of unequalled diversity and beauty. For me, it is top of any list of recommendations I make for people travelling to the capital of France.

When Musée d’Orsay was being considered, the National Museum Administration suggested that the building should house a collection of all the major art forms produced during the second half of the 19th and the first years of the 20th century, forming a bridge between the Louvre and the National Museum of Modern Art. This was agreed to at the time by President George Pompidou.

My personal go-to exhibitions are the paintings

That original premise covered a short period – three-quarters of a century only – and it was later agreed that the starting point would be the middle of the 18th century. The closing date was less of a problem, though the influence of some artists in the first quarter of the 20th century extended well into the latter half, such as Ingres, Delacroix and Rousseau. All of the arts are represented in Musée d’Orsay; painting, sculpture, decorative arts, architecture and photography.

My personal go-to exhibitions are the paintings, and while the museum itself is of relatively recent origin, its collections amount to over 5,000 exceptional pieces. Consider that the museum’s rooms and galleries house many works by such renowned and well-known artists as Manet, Monet, Degas, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Gaugin and Van Gogh, and you can understand why Musée d’Orsay can easily be seen as a piece of heaven.

Our present inability to travel means that my next visit to Musée d’Orsay is sometime into the future, but that does not mean that I, or you, cannot enjoy something of the place from the comfort of our homes. You can go to the official website and search for all of their paintings by artist. This is satisfying, if a little cumbersome.

However, you can take time to savour some of the beauty of Musée d’Orsay thanks to a website called artsandculture.google.com/project/street-view. Here you can take a tour of some of major works on show.

Meanwhile, I would also suggest choosing an artist of your liking and searching on the Musée d’Orsay website for pieces to savour. To help perhaps, I will list a few pieces that are both well known, but are also favourites of mine.

Eugène Delacroix

The Lion Hunt, drawing (circa 1854)

I always imagine that Jack B. Yeats must have been influenced a little by this. It is actually a drawing for a painting that was destroyed in a fire. The ferocity of the lions in a lethal battle with the hunters is beautifully expressed by an incredible palette of colours.

Édouard Manet – The Fife Player.

Édouard Manet

The Fife Player (866)

The artist, inspired by Valesquez, muted the background so that the young light infantry soldier, would stand out clearly. It divided opinion at the time, its style being quite a break with tradition, while some dismissed it as “looking like a playing card”.

Edgar Degas – The Opera Orchestra.

Edgar Degas

The Opera Orchestra (circa 1870)

Paying homage to his friend Désiré Dihau, the bassoonist in the foreground, Degas chose an unusual frame in which to set his painting. He had the dancers on stage – less their heads – while in the theatre box is the composer Emmanuel Chabrier. The focus is very much on the orchestra.

Vincent Van Gogh – Van Gogh’s room in Arles.

Vincent Van Gogh

Van Gogh’s room in Arles (1889)

One of my all-time favourite pieces. The place which the artist called his “absolute rest”, there were a number of versions of the room painted as it was a favourite subject for him. Sit for a while and absorb the combination of colours and the simple environment.

Could there be a nicer diversion at this time of worry – some time out to savour the glory of art? It will soothe your soul.

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