Marlene and Spencer Hays donated an initial 187 of their paintings to the museum at a ceremony on Saturday night during which the two 80-year-old collectors were awarded the Chevalier de Legion d’Honneur.
“This donation, which is exceptional for its size and coherence, is the largest a French museum has received from a foreign donor since 1945,” said French culture minister Audrey Azoulay.
The collection, which includes works by Edgar Degas, Pierre Bonnard, Camille Corot and Edouard Vuillard, was built up during the course of nearly 40 years.
Terms of the donation dictate that the pieces must be exhibited in a single space and the couple chose the Paris museum in part because French law prohibits the breaking up and selling on of a donated collection.
The Musée d’Orsay has planned to move its library and archive to allow space for all the pieces in the exhibition to be exhibited together.
