This is an archive article published on May 18, 2021

Paris museum gets ready to welcome visitors after COVID shutdown

The French government closed museums and other cultural venues at the end of October to curb the spread of COVID-19. It is now allowing them to re-open after virus rates started to fall. But restrictions remain in place

Visitors at the Musee d'Orsay are seen in silhouette as they look behind a giant clock face at the former Orsay railway station. (Photo: Reuters)

By: Reuters

2 min readParisMay 18, 2021 10:30 PM IST First published on: May 18, 2021 at 10:30 PM IST

At the Musee d’Orsay in Paris on Monday, workers were hanging a priceless Renoir painting in preparation for the museum’s re-opening after six months with no visitors because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The painting was one of many artefacts at the museum that were put in storage during the lockdown, to protect them from the effects of dust and sunlight, and which are now going back on display ready for the doors to open on Wednesday.

The museum, on the banks of the Seine river, hummed with activity on Monday as staff brought artworks out of storage into the public galleries, and lifted protective covers off glass cases containing rare treasures.