American Friends Musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie

American Friends Musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie Strengthening ties between Americans & the Musée d’Orsay & the Musée de l'Orangerie while supporting one of the world’s greatest collections of French Art.

We support:
Exhibitions in France & the USA
Supporting the museum’s ongoing commitment to share works of art and collaborate with American museums, enriching exhibitions viewed in the United States and in Paris. Education resources in English
We encourage and assist the museum’s efforts to include English in all of its education efforts—wall text, tours, electronic and print resources. Library and

archives
AFMO promotes the seldom seen, but very used, documentation library. Capital improvements to enhance the experience of museum visitors AFMO supports building renovations to enable state-of-the art settings for more than a million Americans who visit the much loved museums. American art included in exhibitions
AFMO supports the Orsay’s inclusion of contemporary, and earlier American artists. Acquisitions and Restoration
AFMO supports collection restoration, and acquisition of new works.

Born in 1992, Alexandre Lenoir primarily paints landscapes inhabited by figures that often appear ghostlike, indifferent...
07/21/2026

Born in 1992, Alexandre Lenoir primarily paints landscapes inhabited by figures that often appear ghostlike, indifferent to the viewer. Working from photographs he selects as memories of happy moments, he transforms scenes dominated by an imposing natural world, allowing an element of unpredictability to emerge. Rather than faithfully depicting nature, Lenoir seeks an alchemy that gives rise to paintings that seem to have emerged spontaneously, almost without the artist’s intervention. Familiar scenes bathed in radiant light are imbued with an unexpected melancholy. For the 16th Contemporary Counterpoint at the Musée de l’Orangerie, Lenoir unveils four new paintings.

His practice relies on carefully devised instructions and on images transformed by the passage of time: both the interval between photograph and painting and the slow duration of the work itself. Built through countless layers of paint, applied from light to dark over strips of masking tape that alternately conceal and reveal the canvas, his process translates the source image without romantic effects, creating a delicate balance between precision and unpredictability. Lenoir describes his method as beginning with a search for the fewest possible brushstrokes to evoke water and its reflections, leading to a technique in which masking tape prepares the surface for lateral washes of paint, almost like a printer. Removing the tape becomes an act of revelation, akin to developing a photograph, leaving space for the viewer to complete the image rather than imposing a single interpretation.

In this way, his work echoes Claude Monet’s exploration of perception and the invisible while testing the tension between realism and experimental processes. Inspired by the living surfaces of Monet’s Water Lilies, whose shifting light animates the painted water, Lenoir is interested in painting as a living entity shaped by repetition, chance, and the life of the studio.

AFMO is proud to support the exhibition “Alexandre Lenoir. Par la force des choses”, on view at until 24 August 2026.

Shown here: Alexandre Lenoir, Ce qui nous porte, 2025. © Musée de l’Orangerie / Philippe Delaissement.

07/16/2026

Sick and tired of the heat in Paris? Dreaming of the seaside? You’re not the only one. Escape to the Musée d’Orsay and cool off with our collection of coastal landscapes and ocean breezes.

AFMO members get before-hours access to the Musée d’Orsay and priority skip-the-line access to the Musée de l’Orangerie. For more information, visit the link in bio.

Today not only marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the American Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, i...
07/04/2026

Today not only marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the American Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, it also marks the 250th anniversary of French-American Friendship. From Benjamin Franklin’s reception in 1778 and the signing of the Paris Treaties (in Paris) which ended the Revolutionary War in 1783 to Lafayette’s engagement, this friendship between our nations is one that has endured two and a half centuries.

One aspect of this friendship which cannot be underestimated lies within the arts. Philadelphia-born artist Mary Cassatt, for instance, introduced Paul Durand-Ruel to the wealthiest Americans, encouraging them to build great collections of Old Master and Impressionist works. Thanks to her, he gained recognition among Americans and as the public flocked with curiosity to discover this “new painting” style that had been so heavily criticized in Paris, Impressionism finally found recognition.

John Singer Sargent began his career at the age of 18 in Paris. Immersed in a cosmopolitan circle of artists, writers, and patrons, Sargent was able to navigate a successful path through the French exhibition system while achieving acclaim and awards. Though most known for his portraiture, he was heavily influenced by his friendship with Claude Monet and loved working en plein air, creating stunning landscapes of Italy, rural England, Giverny, the Mediterranean, northern Africa and the Alps.

Another person whose work is emblematic of French-American Friendship is, of course, Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor behind the Statue of Liberty. A gift from the French people to the American people for the 100th anniversary of American Independence in 1876, the colossal Statue of Liberty, has become one of the icons of 19th century French sculpture, a statue known throughout the world.

So here’s to 250 years of American Independence and French-American Friendship!

06/26/2026

“Renoir and Love. A Joyful Modernity (1865-1885)”, currently on display at the Musée d’Orsay until July 19th 2026.

AFMO members benefit from skip-the-line and early hours access to this exhibition.

A man talks to a young woman on a swing. A young girl watches them alongside another man, leaning against a tree. They a...
06/24/2026

A man talks to a young woman on a swing. A young girl watches them alongside another man, leaning against a tree. They appear to have surprised the couple in conversation, just as we, the viewer, have. As if in a snapshot, Renoir catches the glances turned towards the man seen from the back while the young woman looks away, her cheeks rosy with embarrassment.

“La Balançoire”, or “The Swing” bears many similarities to Renoir’s seminal “Le Bal du Moulin de la Galette. Both pictures were painted in the summer of 1876 and the same carefree atmosphere infuses both pictures. As in “Le Bal”, Renoir places particular emphasis on catching the effects of sunlight dappled by the foliage. The quivering light is rendered by the patches of pale colour, particularly on the clothing and the ground. The models of “La Balançoire”, namely Renoir’s brother Edmond, the painter Norbert Goeneutte, and Jeanne, a young woman from Montmartre, can all be spotted dancing in “Le Bal”. Both paintings were in the end purchased by the same buyer, a name we all know: Gustave Caillebotte.
“La Balançoire” is currently on show in the Musée d’Orsay’s exhibition “Renoir and Love. A Joyful Modernity (1865-1885)”, on display until July 19th 2026.

AFMO members benefit from skip-the-line and early hours access to this exhibition.

Auguste Renoir, La Balançoire, 1876, © GrandPalaisRmn (musée d’Orsay) / Sylvie Chan-Liat

06/17/2026

“Henri Rousseau. A Painter’s Ambition”, currently on display at the Musée de l’Orangerie until July 20th, 2026.

AFMO members get priority access to the Musée de l’Orangerie, as well as to the Musée d’Orsay.

French sculptor, James Pradier, began his studies in his hometown of Geneva before entering the Ecole des Beaux Art in 1...
06/09/2026

French sculptor, James Pradier, began his studies in his hometown of Geneva before entering the Ecole des Beaux Art in 1811, in the studio of the sculptor Frédéric Lemot. Pradier quickly became one of Lemot’s most brilliant students, winning the Grand Prix de Rome in 1812.

A central theme in his work was the female figure, however his style cannot simply be reduced to the introduction of pleasant sensuality into an antique repertoire. This is exemplified by the work shown above: Sappho. The statue combines the nobility of marble with the subject’s dignity yet the meditative intensity of her expression gives her presence an intense interiority. She appears in despair.

Little is known about Sappho. Probably born to an aristocratic family on the island of Le**os around 620 BCE, Sappho was regularly cited as one of the greatest poets of Antiquity. Often referred to as ‘the Poetess’ and hailed by Plato as ‘the tenth Muse’. Many of her songs centred around the overwhelming power of love.

This statue was displayed at the Salon in 1852. When James Pradier passed suddenly, she was covered with a black veil and he was posthumously awarded the medal of honor.

Photo: Francois-Xavier Watine, WebStyleStory. October 2025

Retour en images of last Saturday night at the Musée d’Orsay. What a night! Thank you to everyone who came. To view more...
06/06/2026

Retour en images of last Saturday night at the Musée d’Orsay. What a night!

Thank you to everyone who came. To view more highlights and the gallery of our Springtime Cocktail, visit the link in bio.

All image credits: Ekaterina Aseeva / WebStyleStory, May 2026.

06/05/2026

Last week, our members were privy to a before-hours tour of the seminal exhibition “Sèvres, une passion Rothschild. De la Villa Ephrussi à Paris” at the Mobilier National. Guided by Viviane Mesqui, curator at Sèvre - Musée national de céramique, our guests delved into the history of this exceptional porcelain collection.

AFMO members get exclusive access to visits at the Musée d’Orsay, the Musée de l’Orangerie, as well as off-site visits. To find out more, visit the link in bio.

Rousseau’s artistic career evolved in Parisian neighbourhoods undergoing complete transformations, around Montparnasse w...
06/02/2026

Rousseau’s artistic career evolved in Parisian neighbourhoods undergoing complete transformations, around Montparnasse where he lived. Surrounded by artisans and merchants from the petite bourgeoisie, he painted numerous paintings of his entourage, such as the one shown above. Some of these works would be commissioned, while others served as currency to settle bills.

Shown above is ‘La Noce’. At first sight, this work appears to look like a photographic portrait of a wedding, the protagonists posing in formal attire for the photographer. Yet, there is something surreal about this representation. The characters’ feet are missing, as often is the case in Rousseau’s work. The bride appears to float. Her veil sits upon her grandmother’s dress, contradicting the perspective suggested by the placement of each character at a different level in the composition. This was not a clumsy mistake but intentional, deliberate choice as Rousseau repainted the work to achieve this effect. The bride is like an apparition suspended in air.

Rousseau introduces an element of the bizarre to reality. The dog in the foreground, comically oversized and awkward as he is, acts as a repoussoir or device to take the eye deep into the composition, asserting Rousseau as a master of spatial paradox.
The group is framed by stylised trees that are too small and have improbable foliage. Combined with the yellow ochre background and ethereally intense blue sky, a kind of mandorla is created around the group.

‘La Noce’ is currently on show in exhibition “Henri Rousseau. A Painter’s Ambition”, on display until July 20th, 2026.

Shown here: Henri Rousseau, “La Noce”, 1905, © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée de l’Orangerie) / Hervé Lewandowski

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