Projects

Exhibitions in France and the U.S.

AFMO supports the museums’ ongoing commitment to share works of art and collaborate with American museums, enriching exhibitions viewed in the United States and in Paris.

In 2024, AFMO supported the very successful temporary exhibition Paris 1874. Inventing Impressionism, celebrating the anniversary of the first impressionist exhibition which drew over 722,000 visitors over four months.

Contemporary Art Exhibitions

AFMO provides significant funding to bring contemporary art programs and projects to both the Orsay and the Orangerie.

World-class artists are invited to share their vision of either museum through exhibitions, site-specific installations, and educational programs. Guest artists include Julian Schnabel, David Hockney, Mickalene Thomas, Peter Doig, Nathanaëlle Herbelin, Amélie Bertrand and Elmgreen & Dragset.

In the spring of 2025, the Orsay will honor the work of Lucas Arruda while the Orangerie will present the exhibition David Claerbout. Spring, slowly.

English Language Educational Resources and Content

AFMO encourages the museums by supporting English language educational initiatives, including wall texts, museum tours, printed materials, and digital resources. In 2023, AFMO provided critical funding for the English translation and publication of the Pastels: From Millet to Redon album. This album focuses on the Orsay’s unique collection of pastel works and is published in conjunction with the eponymous exhibition.

In 2024, AFMO supported Holidays at the Orsay, a bilingual program which inculcates children’s appetites for art through a range of creative and entertaining experiences inspired by the museum and its collections.

Capital Improvements

AFMO supports gallery maintenance and building renovations to enable state-of-the-art settings and enhance visitor experience, including two large screens in the lower name, for all visitors, and the 500,000 Americans who visit the museums every year. AFMO also supports the documentation library.

Acquisitions

AFMO supports the acquisition of works of art, focusing on those with either an American provenance or a link with American history in coherence with the periods covered by the two Musées. The acquisitions are jointly approved by the two Musées, their curators and the AFMO Board.

For more information on all our past and present grants, check the Grants to Museums section.

Acknowledgements

American Friends Musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie thank our members and donors for their generous and enthusiastic support of the Musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie’s programs and operations.

With special thanks to the following for their continued support:

  • GRoW@Annenberg, Regina and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten

  • The Marlene and Spencer Hays Foundation

Frédéric Bazille, Réunion de famille, entre 1867 et 1868. Achat avec la participation de Marc Bazille, frère de Frédéric Bazille, 1905, © Musée d’Orsay, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais, Patrice Schmidt