Art & Architecture Musée d'Orsay Paperback – April 15, 2013

I am happy to have this book to plan my next visit to Paris. On my last trip, the museum was closed due to a strike by workers. I will read this book thoroughly before my next trip. Pictures and details are excellent and is easy to read.

I'm in agreement with the other 5 star reviewers. It was worth bringing to Paris so I could read up about the art I had seen during each day that I had visited. Now back home I still refer to it now and then. It is really packed with interesting information and nice illustrations.

Beautiful representation of this glorious museum.

This was a Christmas gift and it is LOVED

Great small book, full of wonderful information in a condensed version. I can't wait to see the works in person

Musee d'Orsay is my absolute favourite museum and I always try to spend at least a few hours there whenever I am in Paris. It's less crowded and more visitor friendly than its more famous neighbour just across the river, the Louvre. This beautiful building started life as government offices, burnt down, was derelict for a while, was turned into a railway station, and eventually someone had the inspiration to turn it into an art museum. The history of the building is only a small part of this book - the rest is devoted to its treasures. And such treasures! The paintings, sculptures and period rooms concentrate on the glorious period from the mid-19th century to just before the First World War. Impressionism and Art Nouveau are well represented. And the light and airy building is a perfect showcase for them.This thick and slightly bulky book works both as a guide to the museum and its works (it includes floorplans) as well as a souvenir of a magical visit. Having said that, the book does not include any of the changes that occurred as part of the museum's 25th anniversary in 2011. But, as I said, most of the book is about the art and artists. I think anyone who has ever been to Musee d'Orsay will enjoy this book. And any art lover who hasn't been there will certainly want to go after discovering the delights contained in these pages. Incidentally, there is a companion book in this Art & Architecture series about the Louvre which is just as good.

Just as it was. A great memory book. I must go there again.

Lovely book

This book is truly wonderful in every respect. It is a compact size, but at almost 600 glossy pages it's crammed with every kind of relevant information you could hope for. There are floor plans of the museum and information on what is contained on each level, but oh, so much more. There are articles on the history of various areas of Paris (complete with mini maps so you can get a sense of just where is being written about) and of the history of the actual building. There is a fold-out page of a map of France showing all the locations used by the various painters. There are bio's of the artists and lots of information on their works. I have purchased many museum and gallery guides on arrival at wherever, but as my upcoming visit to the Musee d'Orsay is going to be a day I shall treasure I want to get the very most out of the experience and so decided to purchase this book ahead of time. I can't stress enough how wonderful the whole thing is and I'm thrilled to have made this choice. I simply can't imagine anyone at all having a single quibble about the book and its contents.

A really beautiful book.I bought this prior to a long weekend in Paris. I have been to this museum several times & it is probably my favourite museum.Not only are exhibits fantastic, but the building itself is exceptional.This book is small enough to carry round with you, yet the pictures are very clear. It gives excellent descriptions of the works of art & saves you renting an audio guide, but really is an excellent memento of a visit to a world class museum.The book is excellent value for money & I would definitely recommend it.