While we wait for our neighbour the Musée d’Orsay to reopen in a few weeks’ time, you may like to know that you can still visit it in virtual reality, learn how it was created and see more then 600 works of art in high definition, thanks to Google Arts & Culture…

Isn’t technology wonderful? Even if the Musée d’Orsay has its doors closed for a few weeks, all you need is an internet connection and you can wander round its galleries and admire all the works of art on show – paintings, sculptures, furniture, photos… – thanks to Google Arts & Culture.

Why not start with a virtual walk round the huge building in street view mode? You know how it goes – just click to move around and explore. It’s really well done.

Other links offer you the chance to look at the museum’s works of art by theme (paintings of France, Impressionism…), with other images available by date of creation, popularity and even colour!

A lot of them are available to look at in high definition. Get ready to lose yourself in Monet’s waterlilies, and see every brushstroke in his painting of the rue Montorgueil!

The Museum’s page also contains an interactive presentation explaining how the museum came to be – the construction of the building in 1900, its transformation from train station to auction house and circus venue (true story), the abandoned projects for a hotel in the 1960s (spoiler alert: it was hideous)…

For instance, we learned that permission had been given in 1971 to have the building completely destroyed! It’s a miracle it survived.

All in all, the site has a lot to marvel at. Something to keep you occupied until it reopens shortly…

The Musée d’Orsay (here) will soon be open once again from 9.30am-6pm (9.45pm Thursdays)

Admission: 16€ / 13€

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L’histoire de Parkie, éléphante d’Asie venue de Ceylan et prêtée par @Le_Museum, qui accueillera les visiteurs de l’expo #LesOriginesDuMonde au musée d’Orsay.

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— Musée d’Orsay (@MuseeOrsay) December 16, 2020