Eclipso Brings “Tonight With The Impressionists, Paris 1874" To New York City

New York, NY (November 25, 2024) – After successfully debuting an interactive virtual reality journey to Ancient Egypt with Horizon of Khufu, Eclipso is adding a second immersive virtual reality experience at their New York City Flagship: Tonight with the Impressionists. Created by Excurio in collaboration with the renowned Musée d’Orsay in Paris and in honor of the 150^th anniversary of the first-ever Impressionist exhibition, Tonight with the Impressionists, takes visitors back to 1874 to experience this historical event firsthand and meet the painters, including Monet, Renoir, Morisot, and Degas. Tonight with the Impressionists will open to the public on December 13, 2024, at the Eclipso Center in New York.

This 45-minute journey transports guests back to April 15, 1874, when a group of artists broke away from traditional academic painting, focusing instead on capturing light, color, and atmosphere in new ways. Known as the Impressionists—Monet, Renoir, Morisot, Degas, and others—they depicted everyday life and outdoor scenes with spontaneous brushstrokes and vibrant colors.

“Building on the well-received opening of Horizon of Khufu in New York, the newest expedition allows visitors to experience one of the most pivotal moments in art history,” said Antoine Lieutaud, CEO of Eclipso. “It’s more than just a glimpse into the past; it's an invitation to experience the passion, vision, and spirit of the artists who forever changed the art world, all through virtual reality.”

Following its success in France and Atlanta, Tonight with the Impressionists is set to captivate a broad audience of art and history enthusiasts. Inside the 11,000-square-foot space, guests will be virtually transported to the streets of 19th-century Paris to meet the artists behind the paintings and experience key moments that defined the Impressionist movement. These include Bazille’s studio, Monet and Renoir’s Grenouillère, and Monet’s Le Havre, where Impression, Sunrise was created.

This experience is the result of over two years of research and collaboration with Excurio, GEDEON Experiences, and the Musée d’Orsay, based on an original idea and original historical reconstructions by GEDEON Experiences. With historically accurate recreations curated by Sylvie Patry (General Curator of Heritage / Artistic Director, Mennour Gallery) and Anne Robbins (Curator of Paintings, Musée d’Orsay), it brings to life the era where these iconic works were born.

The Tonight With The Impressionists, Paris 1874, Immersive Experience’s debut in NYC comes alongside the National Gallery of Art’s current exhibition, “Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment,” open until January 19, 2025, in Washington D.C. 

“Our partnership with the Musée d’Orsay and GEDEON Experiences allowed us to authentically recreate this defining moment in art history,” said Fabien Barati, CEO of Excurio, the production company behind virtual reality experiences proposed in the Eclipso Centres. “Tonight with the Impressionist offers a unique opportunity to step into the world where these iconic works were created, bringing an extraordinary moment to life, in a way that resonates with audiences today.” 

“This experience offers a journey through time and invites visitors from all over the world to experience the emotions that inspired the painters, particularly in two well-known regions of France, Normandy, and the Paris region,” says Stéphane Millière, CEO of GEDEON Experiences.

After its NYC debut with Horizon of Khufu in October 2024, Eclipso has quickly gained recognition for delivering unique cultural experiences through advanced technology.

Tonight with the Impressionists, Paris 1874 opens on December 13, 2024, at 555 W 57th Street, New York, NY, and will be open Tuesday – Friday 12pm – 8pm, Saturday 10am – 9pm, and Sunday 10am – 8pm. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at https://theimpressionists-experience.com/nyc/

High-res images and b-roll are linked HERE.

About Eclipso 

Operating in France and expanding internationally, Eclipso is a virtual reality center offering a new category of cultural entertainment. Similar to a cinema, Eclipso offers a range of content for immersive experiences that are both educational and entertaining. Eclipso's mission is to facilitate access to culture, travel, and entertainment through state-of-the-art virtual reality technology. The brand offers a unique opportunity to discover the unexplored and to learn many details of history in a new way. Eclipso arrived in USA in 2024 with Horizon of Khufu, and is also present in France in Paris, Bordeaux, and Lyon and in the UK in London.

About Excurio

With Immersive Expeditions, Excurio offers a unique experience format: thrilling virtual reality adventures to be enjoyed by large crowds of people in free-roaming, in large spaces, combining knowledge and exciting intrigue. Horizon of Khufu, Eternal Notre-Dame, Life Chronicles, Tonight with the Impressionists Paris 1874… Excurio productions have already attracted over a million visitors, from Shanghai to Montreal and Paris, in prestigious cultural institutions and a network of dedicated venues. Developed in collaboration with renowned scientists and historians, Immersive Expeditions physically and emotionally involve visitors in the discovery of our historical, artistic and scientific heritage. Excurio's mission: making culture accessible through wonder. Set to become a standard in cultural entertainment, Immersive Expeditions are based on a proprietary technological platform, also developed by Excurio, to manage record visitor flows. Excurio, originally a brand of Emissive, founded by Emmanuel Guerriero and Fabien Barati in 2005, became the company's new name in 2024 to support these ambitions. Emissive is known for the award-winning virtual reality experiences The Enemy (2015) and Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glass (2019).

About GEDEON Experiences

As creators of multi-format narratives, we explore immersive technologies to deliver spectacular cultural experiences. GEDEON Experiences is the innovative branch of GEDEON Media Group, which has been a major figure in documentary production in France and abroad for the past twenty-five years. We design and produce multi-format immersive experiences based on the strengths that have made our success: the grasp of the codes of storytelling and image, the access to exclusive subjects and the ability to lead large-scale international projects. As experts in 3D reconstructions of lost environments, always as close as possible to historical and scientific reality, we are particularly committed to raising public awareness about culture, history, great discoveries, the arts, the environment and science. We are constantly looking for new forms of storytelling and creation to offer ever more astonishing and innovative sensory experiences, in the service of emotion and knowledge. We are pushing back the frontiers of technology to enable all audiences to discover, understand and dream.

As creators of multi-format narratives, we explore immersive technologies to deliver spectacular  About Musée d’Orsay

Housed in a former railway station in the heart of Paris, the Musée d'Orsay has the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist art in the world. Reflecting Western artistic creation from 1848 to 1914, its collections bear witness to all forms of expression, from painting to architecture, including sculpture, the decorative arts and photography. Some of the most famous artists rub shoulders here: Millet, Courbet, Degas, Monet, Manet, Gauguin, and Van Gogh, not to mention Carpeaux, Rodin, Nadar, Vallotton and Vuillard. Composed of 12,000 tonnes of metal structures and 35,000 m2 of glass roofing and walls, the edifice was built on the occasion of the 1900 World’s Fair, before being turned into a museum in 1977 upon the decision of President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and inaugurated by President François the following year. The interior layout was created by a team of scenographers and architects overseen by the Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti. In 2023, the Musée d’Orsay received almost 3,900,000 visitors from all over the world.