Museum Monday: L’Orangerie

The Ultimate Water Lilies Experience

(3 min read) The Orangerie Museum offers an unparalleled immersive experience of Monet's monumental Water Lilies panels, displayed in specially designed oval rooms that fulfill the artist's vision of a peaceful sanctuary.

Overview

Since I featured a number of Monet’s “Rouen Cathedral Light Studies” in my previous post, doing a feature on the Musee l’Orangerie — which has the ultimate collection of his “Water Lilies” series — seemed like a good idea.

2. A detail from “Green Reflections.”

Originally built in 1852 as a winter shelter for orange trees in Paris’ Tuileries Gardens, the Orangerie was transformed after World War I when Monet donated eight massive water lily compositions to the French state, with two oval rooms specially designed under his direction to display these panoramic works in natural light.

2. Appreciating “Morning.”

There are over two hundred paintings in Monet’s “Water Lilies” series, and a few museums have large scale murals grouped together in dedicated rooms. But no collection beats the Orangeries’. Below I feature all eight of the panoramic masterpieces here, in the order you would experience them if you visited yourself.

The first room’s paintings, featured clockwise from the entrance:

4. “The Clouds”

5. “Green Reflections”

6. “Morning”

7. “Sunset”

The second room’s paintings, featured clockwise from the entrance:

8. “Tree Reflections” (right) & “Morning with Willows” (left).

9. “The Two Willows”

10. “Clear Morning with Willows”

11. “Tree Reflections”

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Don’t Miss

While the “Water Lilies” are the obvious draw, make sure to visit the lower level of the museum, which features the Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume Collection of early modern masters such as Matisse and Picasso:

12. A small Matisse.

13. A late “Rose Period” Picasso next to one of the African-syle masks that inspired his leap into Cubism.

Section: Practical Information

Where: Paris, France

My Visit: 4 October 2021

Best For: Lovers of Impressionism and early modern art; Monet fanatics.

Pro Tip: Visit as soon as it opens to beat the crowds and experience the best natural light. Also, if you hold a Musee d’Orsay “White Card” (and if are visiting Paris and like art, you really should), entry here is included.