Since 1980, the Société des Amis des musées d'Orsay et de l'Orangerie (SAM O) has been working to enhance the collections and promote the reputation of both museums. The active participation of its corporate and private members has enabled over 2000 works - paintings, objets d'art and sculptures - to join the Musée d'Orsay collections. Marie-Alix Caquelard, General Delegate, and Lan-Hsin Arnaud, Deputy General Delegate, take us behind the scenes of the association's rich artistic news, with Edvard Munch at Orsay and Sam Szafran at the Orangerie.
" Making art accessible to as many people as possible is the founding principle of our association. "
1. How did SAMO come into being?
In 1980, the Société des Amis des musées d'Orsay et de l'Orangerie(SAMO) was founded by Ambassador Emmanuel de Margerie, surrounded by Count Edouard de Ribes and Louis-Antoine Prat. The idea was to accompany the birth of the Musée d'Orsay. Surrounded by collectors, enthusiasts and art world players with a passion for the second half of the 19th century (1848-1914), the museum opened its doors in 1986. Our association, initially governed by the French law of 1901, became a non-profit organization in 2007. As such, it supports the Établissement's acquisitions and is authorized to receive tax-deductible donations. Since 2010, the Établissement public des musées d'Orsay et de l'Orangerie - Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (EPMO) has brought together the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée de l'Orangerie.
Room view © musée d'Orsay
2. What's special about the two museums?
We wear the colors of two distinct institutions, each with their own histories and periods of art history. The Musée d'Orsay collections present the artistic creation of the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century, an extremely fertile period that saw the birth of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements. The Musée de l'Orangerie houses Claude Monet's ultimate masterpiece, " Les Nymphéas ", as well as the Walter-Guillaume collection, one of the finest European collections of paintings from the 1860s to 1935. Together, these two museums bear witness to the birth of modernity in the history of art.
3. What isSAMO's role?
The association promotes the collections, contributes to the acquisitions of the two museums and encourages visitors. Our Patron Friends are private individuals and companies who benefit from tailor-made programming and privileged access to the museums. Thanks to their donations, over 2000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, furniture and objets d'art have joined the Musée d'Orsay collections. This community of enthusiasts makes an exceptional heritage visible.
" SAMO's added value is to adapt to the needs of its members, while forging a special bond with each and every one of them,individuals and businesses alike. "
4. Who are the members?
The majority of our 750 members are private individuals interested in the second half of the 19th century, with different levels of donations and benefits, from "young patrons" to "major benefactors". SAMO's corporate patrons are most often local small and medium-sized businesses: law firms, start-ups, art galleries... We offer them non-nominative cards or passes to share their access with a client or colleague. This free priority access makes it easy to get in before opening time or during lunch breaks. Our philosophy is toencourage generosity in favor of national collections and to make art accessible to all, by adapting to the objectives and constraints of each individual.
Views of the Musée d'Orsay © Photographies Clara Pagnussat, Bail Art
5. Why is it important to complement existing collections with a long-term acquisition policy?
Each work that joins the collectionsis a new perspective, a new point of view on the artistic creation of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Our museums are living institutions,committed to sharing their collections with all publics. Enriching our collections is therefore essential if we are to continue to pass on our knowledge of art and its history to futuregenerations. Our role is to remain as representative as possible of our artistic period, in the most accurate and exhaustive way possible. Hence the exploration of themes such as the place of women in art history, or the opening up to foreign schools.With this in mind, members can become patrons for as little as €150: every donation counts and is transformed into a work of art, fromthe largest to the most modest. Being a friend means supporting all disciplines, or even acquisitions that may be of documentary interest, such as the recent Les Lettres de Monet, which shed light on the genesis of our collections.
Claude Monet, The Turkeys, Musée d'Orsay © Musée d'Orsay, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Patrice Schmidt
6. What is SAMO's acquisition policy for the Musée d'Orsay?
This is traditionally the responsibility of the President of the Etablissement. Christophe Leribault, current President of the two museums, particularly encourages the acquisition of foreign artists. The last painting purchased in 2022 is by Fanny Brate (1862-1940), a representative of Swedish academic painting, a school to which some twenty paintings already belong at the Musée d'Orsay. Brate was one of the first women artists to join the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm, which, for the first time in the world, set up a complete training program for women in 1864. Konstvänner (Friends of Art), depicting young peasants watching a woman painting in the open air, is one of the most important works of her career. The artist was only 24 when she submitted it to the Academy competition in 1885.
Fanny Brate, Konstvänner (Friends of Art), 1885, oil on canvas, Musée d'Orsay, gift of the Meyer Louis-Dreyfus fund through the Société des amis des musées d'Orsay et de l'Orangerie © Musée d'Orsay, dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Sophie Crépy
For the first time, we have appealed for donations by submitting the work to our members along with the work of Irish painter Roderic O'Conor. O'Conor was still present in Pont-Aven during Gauguin's last trip to Brittany in 1894. Their friendship dates back to this trip. His meeting with Émile Bernard seems to have been a catalyst for the development of his art, notably by introducing him to the work of Van Gogh. Roderic O'Conor is a very rare artist in public collections worldwide. French museums hold mainly graphic works, drawings and engravings (Rennes, Quimper, Pont-Aven and Orsay). This acquisition represents an exceptional opportunity to enrich national collections.
Roderic O'Conor (1866-1940) Breton boy in profile, 1893, Painting on canvas, 38.1 x 44.5 cm, © Patrice Schmidt / Musée d'Orsay dist.RMN-Grand Palais
In 2021, we took advantage of the exhibition "Hockney. A Year in Normandy" exhibition to organize a cocktail party for young patrons interested in the Orangerie's collections. We're repeating the experience on October 20 with the exhibition "Sam Szafran. Obsessions d'un peintre" and the contemporary counterpoint "Mickalene Thomas: Avec Monet", with a financially accessible cocktail reception (€50 per person). In this way, we hope to complete our 2021 envelope to finance the first acquisition for the Musée de l'Orangerie. These 110 young, loyal and very active patrons benefit from tailor-made programming (studio visits, lunch or evening events, etc.).
Sam Szafran (1934-2019) L'atelier de la rue Crussol, February 1972. Pastel on tracing paper mounted on card 104 x 75cm. Private collection © Sam Szafran, ADAGP, Paris 2022 Photo Lala
7. How has SAMO opened up to a younger audience?
Over the past few years, thanks to our extremely dynamic programming and communications, our ecosystem has increasingly appealed to the 20-45 age group, with exhibitions that are highly accessible and rooted in current social issues. The success of our Les Curieuses Nocturnes concert and performance evenings is testimony to this, as is our contemporary programming based on encounters with artists united by their desire to work together. Kehinde Wiley's Lectures contemporaines (Contemporary Readings) address current issues, as Christophe Leribault, President of the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée de l'Orangerie, explains: "While playing on the stereotypes of Western painting and sculpture, Kehinde Wiley conveys a timely message about the violence of contemporary society. I wanted to present these works in the same vein as the Musée d'Orsay collections that have so inspired him, and which he offers a fascinating rereading of."
8. SAMO has also launched a major project to promote art historical research. What is its aim?
Indeed, our role has evolved with the creation in 2020 of the Fondation des Amis pour le Rayonnement des musées d'Orsay et de l'Orangerie(FARMO), hosted by the Fondation de France. Convinced of the importance of art in our society, we support public-interest projects in favor of art-historical research, cultural democratization and museum accessibility. FARMO's projects focus on the transmission and sharing of art and culture with all publics. We have launched the first doctoral scholarship for art history research. Starting in 2022, the Foundation will support a doctoral scholarship in connection with the Musée d'Orsay's future Centre de Ressources et Recherches (CRR), scheduled to open in 2026. The CRR will become a hub for art history research on the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, with various themes including the place of women in art history, foreign schools, major collectors, the Salons, and of course the trends that emerged during this period. The Foundation has also launched a photography workshop project for people in need of social reintegration. In addition, we are financing the material aspects of a program dedicated to compulsory internships for3rd grade students. Based on the principle that these internships require a network, and that cultural and museum professions are often reduced to the most visible professions, our museums offer a discovery course to welcome these schoolchildren for a full week.
9th Gala Dinner to raise funds for the Musée d'Orsay collections © SAMO, 2022
SAMO in figures
- 42 years of patronage for the Musées d'Orsay and de l'Orangerie
- 750 patrons Friends
- 2000 works acquired for museums
- 100 privileged meetings a year for its members
- A gala dinner
To discover at the Musée d'Orsay
- Exhibition "Edvard Munch. A poem of life, love and death", from 09/20/22 to 01/22/23
- Kehinde Wiley" contemporary readings, from 09/13 to 01/08/23
- National pavilions at world's fairs" exhibition, from 09/09/22 to 13/12/22
- Paul Helleu (1859-1927): portraits and intimacy", from 09/20/22 to 01/01/23
- Exhibition "Behind the scenes in the studio. Jacques de Lalaing, painter, sculptor and ... photographer", from 27/09/22 to 08/01/23.
- Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899)" exhibition, from 18/10/22 to 15/01/23.
- Manet / Degas" exhibition, from 03/28/23 to 07/23/23.
To discover at the Musée de l'Orangerie
- Exhibition "Sam Szafran. Obsessions d'un peintre. "From 09/28/22 to 01/16/23.
- Contrepoint contemporain " Mickalene Thomas : Avec Monet ", from 13/10/22 to 06/02/23.
- Focus collection "André Derain. Paysages méridionaux", from 09/21/22 to 03/06/23.
Contact the Société des Amis des musées d'Orsay et de l'Orangerie
www.amis-musee-orsay.org - 01 40 49 48 34
