MUSEE D'ORSAY, UN MUSEE S'ENRICHIT (LE)

of FARGIER Jean-Paul

FRANCE, 1996, 00:53:00

Production : CNC, DMF, EX NIHILO, LA CINQUIEME, MINISTERE DES AFFAIRES ETRANGERES, MUSEE D'ORSAY, PROCIREP
Collection : Musée d'Orsay
Genre : Documentary
Keyword : History of art, Homage, Museum, Photographs

Summary :
From 1990 to 1996, 400 paintings, 100 sculptures, 5800 architecture and design drafts, 12300 photographs entered the musée d’Orsay. These impressive figures raise a question: “how does a gallery enrich its collection?” Through a number of examples, like a portrait of Baudelaire that was reattributed to Nadar, a self-portrait by Gauguin, a portrait of Mrs Cézanne by Cézanne, a statue by Maillol, a statuette by Degas, a portrait of a children by Renoir, a landscape by Whistler, 2285 drawings by Guimard, a vase by Gallé, this film tells us the adventurous stories of these works, from their creation in an artist’s studio to their registration in the inventory of a gallery. These stories are adventurous indeed: the works change hands, disappear and reappear, followed by curators eager to complete their collections. Purchase, donation... The different modes of acquisition used by galleries are thus explained, and beyond legal terms, it is a story about taste that is being told.

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