Orangerie Museum

Updated on September 13, 2026

Wedged between the Tuileries garden and Place de la Concorde, the Orangerie Museum lives up to its name: the building originally served to shelter the royal garden's orange trees through the winter. It owes its fame above all to an extraordinary collection, the large Water Lilies panels by Claude Monet, installed in two oval rooms designed specifically to display them. In the basement, the Walter-Guillaume collection continues the visit with paintings by Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse, Modigliani, and Picasso, assembled by art dealer Paul Guillaume in the early twentieth century.

Highlights

The Water Lilies

This panel, more than 6 meters long, was painted by Monet between 1914 and 1926, in the final years of his life. It's part of the cycle the artist gave to the French State in 1922, just months before its unveiling.

The Oval Room

The two oval rooms, designed by architect Camille Lefèvre, bathe Monet's eight large panels in natural overhead light. It's one of the few Impressionist installations in which the artist himself approved every detail.

The Walter-Guillaume Collection

In the basement, the rooms recreate the atmosphere of art dealer Paul Guillaume's apartment and showcase his personal collection, a striking overview of modern painting.