Paintings in the Musee D'Orsay

Situated in the heart of Paris, the Musee d'Orsay boasts the greatest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art in the world, a collection unparalleled in its diversity and quality. Since its spectacular opening in 1986 in a renovated train station, the museum has welcomed more than 50 million visitors to view works by Bouguereau, Courbet, Renoir, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Redon, Whistler, Gauguin and other artists of the mid-19th century to the early 20th century. In this deluxe, large-format volume, the Musee d'Orsay's director, Serge Lemoine, and his team of curators and specialists examine the museum's holdings and the history surrounding them, ranging from the primacy of academic painting through the shock of Impressionism to the rise of modern art. Included are many seminal works of the period, including Whistler's Mother, Manet's The Balcony, Cezanne's Apples and Oranges, Monet's Blue Water Lilies and Van Gogh's Bedroom at Arles. With 830 full-colour illustrations of masterpieces by some of the world's best-loved artists, this is the definitive guide to paintings in one of the world's most popular museums. The exhaustive scope of this book and the richness of its imagery make Paintings in the Musee d'Orsay an essential addition to the bookshelves of all lovers of Impressionism and of great art.