PARIS – Louis Vuitton has renewed its financial support for the Musée d’Orsay in Paris as the prestigious museum embarks on a major renovation program.
The French luxury brand will commit 20 million euros between 2026 and 2030 to the Musée d’Orsay and its sister institution, the Musée de l’Orangerie-Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, according to sources familiar with the matter.
This follows an initial partnership between 2022 and 2025 that saw the cultural venue host its first fashion shows. Vuitton’s fall 2022 collection was unveiled in the museum’s central nave and its Galerie Courbet, while its fall 2023 display was held in the grand former ballrooms of the Hôtel d’Orsay.
Originally a train station inaugurated for the 1900 Paris Exposition, the building was once slated for demolition, but was spared when it was designated a historic monument in 1973. The art museum opened in 1986 and was billed as one of the largest in Europe.
The Beaux-Arts style building is home to an extensive collection of 19th-century art, including the world’s largest stash of Impressionist and post-Impressionist art. Among the highlights are Vincent Van Gogh’s most famous self-portrait, Édouard Manet’s “Luncheon on the Grass” and “Whistler’s Mother” by James McNeill Whistler.
The Musée d’Orsay.
Sophie Crépy/Courtesy of Musée d’Orsay
The fresh funds will go primarily towards the works scheduled to be carried out between 2025 and 2028, while the museum remains open.
“It aims to restore and showcase Gare d’Orsay railway station’s emblematic historical areas, including the forecourt, the canopy, the arrivals hall and the Hôtel d’Orsay’s former grand entrance hall,” the museum said in a statement.
“The project will enable us to restore the original spirit of these areas, open a spectacular perspective on the nave, reduce waiting times and provide new services,” it added.
Vuitton will also support the public establishment’s activities and exhibitions, and help enrich its collections. Parent company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has separately enabled the museum to acquire Gustave Caillebotte’s painting “The Boating Party” via a 43-million-euro donation.
France’s most powerful luxury brands have been forging strong links with Paris landmarks in recent years, with Chanel sponsoring the refurbishment of the Grand Palais, home to its fashion shows since 2005, and Dior inking a multiyear partnership with the Musée du Louvre to help restore the Jardin des Tuileries, one of the largest and oldest public gardens in Paris.
Louis Vuitton also has a partnership with the Louvre museum, which has hosted fashion shows by Nicolas Ghesquière, artistic director of women’s collections, since 2014.
A rendering of the future library at the Musée d’Orsay.
Courtesy of Musée d’Orsay