The essentials
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where | Musée d'Orsay, 1 rue de la Légion d'Honneur, Paris 7th (RER C, metro Solférino) |
| Painter, date | Gustave Courbet, 1866, oil on canvas |
| Size | about 46 x 55 cm |
| Hours | Tuesday-Sunday 9:30-18:00, Thursday until 21:45, closed Monday |
| Price | 16 EUR full price per guides; free under 18 |
| Time needed | 15 minutes for the painting, 2 to 3 hours for the whole museum |
The story of the painting
Courbet painted it in 1866 for Khalil-Bey, an Ottoman diplomat and collector living in Paris. It then changed hands several times, often hidden, until the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan bought it in 1955: he kept it at his country house behind a sliding panel painted by André Masson. After Lacan's death his heirs gave it to the French State in 1995 in lieu of inheritance tax, and it entered the Musée d'Orsay that year. The identity of the model is still debated: do not state a name as fact.
Seeing it without queues
- Arrive at opening (9:30) or on Thursday evening, which is calmer.
- Book a time slot online: a skip-the-line entry avoids the main entrance queue.
- Photos are generally allowed without flash; follow the signs in the room.
- The subject is explicit: not suitable for young children.
Nearby in the same rooms
A Burial at Ornans, Courbet's largest painting, is in the same galleries. Then head up to the Impressionists (level 5). To plan your day see the Musée d'Orsay and Orsay tickets: which offer.
