In 1909, Claude Monet (France, 1840-1926) decides to donate an artwork for the enjoyment of Parisians. He wanted them to be able to contemplate, in a closed space, a vision of nature within the city. Thus he paints the lobby inspired in the gardens of his usual residence in Giverny. The panels, divided in two rooms, show the passing of time, from dusk till dawn, on the landscape. The artwork is presented like a conjunction of elements: water, air, sky and earth. And, while there's no clear perspective, the flowers create a rhythm in the composition, as a never-ending horizon.

This work took Monet twelve years and it was opened to the public in 1927, a few months after his death.

Les nymphéas, by Claude Monet (1914-1926)

Musée de L’Orangerie - Paris (Room 1)

Les nymphéas, by Claude Monet (1914-1926)

Musée de L’Orangerie - Paris (Room 2)

The minimalist basement of the building, restored in 2006, displays the modern art collection of Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume, initiated by the latter in 1911, when he became an art dealer. He was also editor of the magazine Les Arts á Paris and supporter of the careers of such artists as Picasso and André Derain. He died in 1934, before being able to see his dream of a Modern Art museum come true. His wife kept Guillaume's collection and expanded it when she married the architect and industrial Jean Walter. So, while the collection carries the last name of both collectors, it was Dominique Walter, Guillaume's widower, who protected it and then donated it to the French State.

Retrato de Madame Paul Guillaume con sombrero, by André Derain (1928-1929)

Technique: oil on canvas

Musée de L’Orangerie - Paris

The 145 paintings in the museum are a partial yet prestigious testimony of 50 years of art creation in Paris, from Impressionism to the 1930s. The collection gathers works by Derain, Cézanne, Modigliani, Matisse, Picasso, Renoir and Rousseau, known as Le Douanier. 

The photos shown in this post were taken with their frames because that was the way art collectors exhibited their paintings in the 20th century. The painting below is one of the six versions painted by Renoir (France, 1841-1919) on the same subject, but this one was found at the artist's studio in the time of his death.

Jeunes filles au piano, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1882)

Technique: oil on canvas

Musée de L’Orangerie - Paris

To portray the French society ladies Yvonne and Christina Lerolle, Renoir prefers the intimacy of their home and behind them, he includes two paintings by another French artist: Edgar Degas  (France, 1834- 1917).

Yvonne et Christine Lerolle au piano, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1897-1898)

Technique: oil on canvas

Musée de L’Orangerie - Paris

Although Paul Guillaume was not Picasso's (Spain, 1881-1973) usual marchand, they both shared an interest for primitive art and, especially, "black" art. In 1918, Guillame organises a joint exhibition for Picasso and Matisse in his gallery. Of the many works by Picasso, the collection has a group of paintings done by the artist during his stay in the town of Gósol, in 1906. The monumental Bañistas stand out in that neoclassic period of production of the 1920s. However, Guillaume completes the collection with cubist and pre-cubist artworks to achieve his main aim: strengthen the vigour of Classicist Modernity in the first half of the 20th century.

Grande Natura Morte, by Pablo Picasso (1917-1918)

Technique: oil on canvas

Musée de L’Orangerie - Paris

(To be continued...)