In addition to presenting a series of works signed by the greatest artists, from Corot to Picasso, this exhibition raises the question of why the Forest of Fontainebleau attracted not only painters and photographers, but also writers and poets.



Narcisse Diaz de la Peña The Heights of the Jean de Paris 1867 Paris, Musée d’Orsay, Alfred Chauchard Bequest, 1909 (c) RMN, Hervé Lewandowski

From the late 18th century, artists had been going to the Forest of Fontainebleau to make their first studies “from life”. As open-air painting developed, the Barbizon school of artists, followed by the Impressionists, invaded the forest to “work directly from Nature” and turned it into the most popular site in the art world throughout the 19th century. This success gave rise to hundreds of works of art which, whilst portraying the forest, also demonstrate the changes in landscape art.

It provokes thoughts about the close links, throughout the 19th century, between this very special site and the artists, who found inspiration in “the spirit of the place” and changed its image. For after “absorbing” the romantic forest created by the men of letters, the painters contributed to its reinvention. This was a prelude to its official recognition as an “Artistic Reserve” when, in 1874, the Forest of Fontainebleau became the first natural site in the world to be classified.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

Access
entrance to the museum and exhibitions by the square 1, rue de la Légion d’Honneur:
* for individual visitors without ticket on the side of the river Seine, entrance A
* for members (Carte Blanche and MuséO holders), visitors with tickets or passes or with priority on the side of the rue de Lille, entrance C
* for adults in groups
on the side of the river Seine, entrance B
* for school groups
on the side of the rue de Lille, entrance D

Transportation
Buses: 24, 63, 68, 69, 73, 83, 84, and 94
Métro: line 12, Solférino station
RER: line C, Musée d’Orsay station
Boat: Batobus
Taxis: Rue de Solférino and Quai Anatole-France
Car parks: Deligny, Louvre and Montalembert

Opening Hours
The museum is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9.30am to 6pm and on Thursdays from 9.30am to 9.45pm
Tickets sold until 5pm, 9pm on Thursdays
Galleries start closing at 5.30pm, 9.15pm on Thursdays
The museum is open on Easter Sunday, on May 25, on July 14, on November 1 and on November 11
The museum is shut on Mondays and on January 1, May 1 and December 25

Ticket for the museum and exhibitions except Maurice Denis
Full price : 7.5 Euros
Reduced rate : 5.5 Euros
On Sundays and from 4.15 pm (8 pm on Thursdays): 5.5 Euros

For further information, you can visit the following website:
Musée d’Orsay – Exhibitions