Musee d'Orsay in Paris lending paintings of European masters to Taipei museum

Add aptMillet's "The Gleaners"ion

Lovers of the classic art masterpieces belonging to the Musee d’Orsay will soon no longer need to fly all the way to Paris to view them up close.  The famous repository of paintings that stand out in the history of western art will lend 69 art treasures to the National Palace Museum in Taipei from April 8 to July 24.

The “Impression, Left Bank – Musee d’Orsay 30^th Anniversary Exhibition” will highlight the paintings of masters like Van Gogh, Millet, Renoir, Monet, Cezanne, Gauguin, Degas, Seurat and Delacroix. Van Gogh’s “The Midday Siesta,” Renoir’s “Girls at the Piano” and Millet’s “The Gleaners” will be in the collection of major 19^th century works of art on loan. The awaited art event in Taipei, only about two hours by plane from Manila, requires insurance coverage amounting to 400 million euro, according to the Taipei museum.

Renoir's "Girls at the Piano"

The exhibit will call attention to the leading lights in the art movements in the 19^th century like Realism,Impressionism, Expressionism and Cubism. The works of these celebrated artists command incredibly high prices in the art market today.

The Musee d’Orsay is located at the site of the former Orsay Railway Station in the French capital. This opened as the first modern train station in Paris in 1900 but closed down in 1939. The station became the Musee d’Orsay in 1986. Works of art which used to be housed in the Jeu du Paume were moved to this present-day landmark museum, which is said to attract 3.5 million visitors every year.

Van Gogh.s "The Midday Siesta"