Immersing in Monet's waterlilies: Museum Challenge week 12

Completely spent from my absolutely amazing Thanksgiving, I just managed to squeeze in one museum on Sunday evening right before closing time. A sort of last minute thought, mostly I decided to go to take advantage of the fact that it is still free for me to visit my favorite museum: the Orangerie.

Together Peter and I sat in the first and then the second white elliptical room, immersed in the Monet waterlilies that surrounded us. The building itself, much as its name implies, was originally built in the 1800s to serve as an orangerie. Later, under the Third Republic of France, it was used as a storage building as well as a temporary home for sporting, musical, and government events as well as art, canine, and horticular expositions. Finally, in 1921, it was designated to become an art museum. Upon encouragement, Monet himself agreed to display his waterlilies here. He even coordinated much of the building's interior design to suit his works. The display first opened in 1927. Eighty-five years later, the exhibition still stands and draws crowds on a daily basis. And if you get the chance to visit, you won't have to wonder why.

Photos of the Orangerie from a visit back in 2010, before photography was banned.

A museum I know and love, visiting was the opposite of a challenge. Still, with this trip I checked off another museum and so concluded a successful week #12 of the Museum Challenge.