Painting in the Musee D'Orsay

by Geneviève Lacambre

Lacambre, Genevieve

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[William Mego · Rating 3 out of 5]

High quality photographs of the museum's collections, interspersed with mind-numbing text that manages to both dull the senses and still under-inform the reader about the large number of great artists within, which is elevated to the status of a minor crime against art in that these are the artists most people are blissfully unaware ever walked the earth, as though impressionism sprang from nothing, as well as possessing the excellent and lesser-known works of some of the more famous ones. Also the story and the architecture of the museum is given (I believe) a single interior photograph, and one paragraph, where it could rate almost a small book unto itself. Museums should learn, like high school history teachers, that history is simply a collection of the most amazing and improbable incidents of the past, and not something that tastes like old sand and cobwebs.

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are 2 different titles combined in this Goodreads file. This book is the “Paintings in the musée D’Orsay” Written near the opening of the museum this book chronicles the history and source of the collection at that time. It’s written by and for someone who already knows art history well enough to differentiate between the impressionists, the nabis, post impressionist movements, various schools and the later fauvism movement. The author missed a golden opportunity to clarify some of these distinctions for those of us with prior exposure and an interest but lack the mastery of art scholars.

Details about the previous owners and donors of the pieces are mildly interesting but are part of the purpose of the book so those dull sections get a pass.

The author also refers to events in a way that insiders at a social function refer to hot gossip with a “as you know “ aire that is sharply annoying when you don’t know. “After the scandal at the salon show in the year …” At some point you just want to finish the book and not look up any more of these teasers.

I suspect later editions of this book may have improved. Either way the illustrations give you an overview of the collection.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are lots of books about the Musee d'Orsay but this one was published by Thames and Hudson and printed in Germany. It is not just about paintings. It covers the whole collection and has more pages than the book titled "Paintings in the Musee d'Orsay." This is a gorgeous book, in keeping with an amazing adaptive reuse of a train station into one of the finest museums in the world.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for the pop sugar 2016 challenge (First book you see in a book store). Still, lovely and enjoyable.