Musée d'Orsay announces major expansion plans following €20m donation
by Lauren Heath-Jones | 12 Mar 2020
The expansion will include a new wing, dedicated to the museum's Impressionist and Postimpressionist collections, and two new education and research centres / ©Shutterstock
Credit: ©Sophie Boegly
– Laurence des Cars, director of Musée d'Orsay
The Musée d'Orsay in Paris, France, has announced plans for a major expansion project following an anonymous €20m (£17.6m, US$22.4m) donation.
The project, called Orsay Grand Ouvert – or Orsay Wide Open – is thought to have been in development for a period of several months and has now been made public following the donation.
A new wing and a 7,000sq ft (650sq m) Education Center, as well as an International Research and Resource Centre, are planned.
Set to open between 2025 and 2026, the new wing will be dedicated to the museum's Impressionist and Postimpressionist collections, which include works from Van Gogh, Gauguin, Monet, Degas, Manet and Cézanne. It will be housed in the 13,000 sq ft (1,200sq m) South Wing.
The Education Center, expected to open between 2023 and 2024, is planned for the fourth floor of the museum and will, according to museum director Laurence des Cars, "bring together all kinds of approaches and disciplines, using digital technology to its fullest potential."
The International Research and Resource Center is expected within the same timeframe, and will be set up off-site but within the immediate vicinity of the museum, with the museum currently seeking external premises for the centre. It will be open to students and researchers from around the world, thanks to university and educational partnerships, and will be home to the d'Orsay library and archives.
Musée d'Orsay Paris France expansion Orsay Grand Ouvert Orsay Wide Open Laurence des Cars
The Musée d'Orsay in Paris, France, has announced plans for a major expansion project following an anonymous €20m (£17.6m, US$22.4m) donation. The project, called Orsay Grand Ouvert – or Orsay Wide Open – is thought to have been in development for a period of several months and has now been made public following the donation. A new wing and a 7,000sq ft (650sq m) Education Center, as well as an
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