Orangerie Museum
This fairly small museum houses some 150 works by Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists and is mostly known for Monet’s Water Lilies. The building was originally designed to shelter the orange trees from the Tuileries Gardens during winter, hence the name Orangerie.

Claude Monet himself had thought of the place when he donated his water lilies painting series to the state. With the support from his friend George Clémenceau, then a high ranking official in Paris, Monet’s vision became a reality. Sadly, the inauguration took place in 1927, six months after the passing of the artist.

Both the Orangerie and the Jeu de Paume (on the opposite end of the Tuileries Gardens) were built within a ten year period (1852-1861) and purposely mirror each other perfectly with very similar architecture and Ionic columns.

Have you ever noticed the noticeable difference between the two?