Musée d'Orsay [antikvár]

This is a useful small guidebook for your visit. A well-planned guide already exists for the Musée d'Orsay, providing a comprehensive presentation of all the museum's collections. It calls on the history of art to place the works in their context and gives the necessary background information to help understand the period from 1848 to 1914. The book which you now hold in your hands is less ambitious but, we hope, just as useful. It is a light work of reference to be kept with you throughout your visit for you to consult while you are in front of the various masterpieces. We have chosen eighty-two works by artists, painters and sculptors, representative of the different trends and periods of that half century in the artistic domain. You can make your own choice among our selection, which follows the normal visitor's circuit in the museum and the numbering of the rooms. You will find a clear short entry for each of these works, aimed at helping you to improve your understanding of and way of looking at them. The fact that Daumier sculpted parliamentarians from memory after having observed them during sittings in the House, that Bazille painted under the harsh light of Montpellier, or that Camille Claudel represented her personal love and suffering in L'âge mur (Middle Age) is relevant for the understanding of their art: information concerning the artists and their work is included here, but limited to the essential facts. Remarks concerning iconographical or artistic details may also call your attention to some particular aspect of the piece itself where this has seemed necessary. We hope that this book will help you during your visit and encourage you to prolong it or to come again. Nicole SAVY Head of the cultural department 11