Why is it Famous? The Incredible Journey of Nineteenth-Century Icons

At the Musée d'Orsay, we meet visitors who comment on a work by exclaiming: c'est connu ! (It's famous !). What made this artist or work famous? Why is this well-known? The answers are many, sometimes comical.

Some works retain a taste for scandal, considered as ruptures, others are acclaimed from their creation, have been imitated, reproduced, to the point that they have become familiar to us. Some mark the culmination of a career or are milestones in the history of art. Others once despised could best records at auctions today, others continue to serve as a source of inspiration for younger generations...

Why is it famous ? is like an entertaining investigation. A selection of works, the reasons for their success, how they were perceived over time, enriched with anecdotes, comments from artists, writers and critics...
Close