Ban lifted after Instagram gaffe
Culture minister sparks outrage after taking photos at Musee D’Orsay despite ban and posting them on social media site
THE MUSEE d’Orsay this week lifted a six-year ban on photographs - after Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin posted images she took at the museum on popular social media website Instagram.
The post, featuring images of works by French artist Pierre Bonnard, prompted a flurry of complaints from people who accused the museum of allowing Ms Pellerin to ignore the ban on taking photos of artworks that had been in place since 2009.
#bonnard au Musée d'Orsay A photo posted by Fleur Pellerin (@fleurpellerin) on Mar 16, 2015 at 3:32pm PDT
She also posted her images on Twitter.
Superbe exposition Bonnard au @MuseeOrsay (en avance sur la #MuseumWeek) pic.twitter.com/vLQ2x298dO— Fleur Pellerin (@fleurpellerin) March 16, 2015
The Paris museum responded to the outrage by lifting the ban - but it warned that flash photography, the use of tripods and so-called “selfie sticks” remain forbidden within its walls.
It also said that some works of art in temporary exhibitions were still subject to a photography ban, and would be clearly labelled.
The Musée d’Orsay is home to a pre-eminent collection of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings by artists including Van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir. It attracts about 3.5 million tourists per year.
Some Twitter users joked that they were surprised she had time to visit the Musée d’Orsay, given that she doesn’t have time to read books - a reference to an admission she made last October that she hadn't read a book in two years.
Photo: Graeme Churchard
