“The Fitzwilliam is engaged in a staged programme of refurbishment of its galleries which provides an opportunity not only to refresh the displays but, just as importantly, to bring the fruits of new research and interpretations to bear on the understanding of our works. The beautiful new Impressionist gallery, one of the jewels of the Founder’s Building, achieves all of these aims in what is sure to be one of our most popular displays.” Dr Timothy Potts, Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, 2011

A number of art museums are either in the process of refurbishing their galleries or have just re-opened newly renovated galleries, and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England is one. In November last year Gallery 5, one of their more popular galleries, re-opened after an extensive make-over. This is the Fitzwilliams’ French Impressionists and other late 19th and early 20th century permanent exhibition. [Read more →]

“The first month at Giverny was quite challenging, spent proving myself to M. Vahé, the head gardener, and the seven other male gardeners. None of them could understand why an American woman would want to work so hard for free. But my love and enthusiasm for the garden and Monet grew as each new plant came into blossom.” Elizabeth Murray.

Before I received my copy of Monet’s Passion by Elizabeth Murray, I knew this was going to be a beautiful volume. When I opened the packaging I was overwhelmed by the book’s beauty: the rich feel of the jacket, the amazingly rich photographs that seem to have captured every aspect of Monets’ garden, and the exquisite transparent overlays with pen and ink sketches. Having written a few books about prehistoric art myself I am all to aware of the issues involved in publishing high quality art books at reasonable prices. This latest edition of Monet’s Passion, published in 2010 to celebrate its 20th anniversary, really and truly is a snip at only $35. [Read more →]

Tickets for the Monet Exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris are no longer available online.

According to a spokesperson at the Grand Palais, there are no plans to make more tickets available online. You are able to buy tickets at the Grand Palais, and the queue for entry is between 1 and 2 hours long.

You can still purchase a copy of the Grand Palais Exhibition Catalogue online.

But remember that there is also another Monet exhibition on at the Musée Marmottan Monet, until 20 February 2010.

In my opinion, while the Monet exhibition at the Grand Palais should not be missed – the exhibition at the Marmottan is in fact a better exhibition. There may be more paintings on show in the Grand Palais, but there are a number of significant paintings not on show that are important canvasses in the development of Monet’s style and contribution to Impressionism.

This is also a temporary exhibition, and includes many other personal effects that belonged to the artist. The Musée Marmottan has the World’s largest collection of Monet paintings, not all of which are on permanent display. For this temporary exhibition, everything in the Museum’s collection is on display until February. It really should not be overlooked, the hype over the exhibition at the exhibition at the Grand Palais notwithstanding.

Read more about Monet at Musée Marmatton, Paris 2010 – 2011, and book your tickets on that page. You reserve a ticket for 10.45 and are allowed entry any time during the day.

Claude Monet, 1873, Impression, soleil levant. Oil on canvas, 48 x 63 cm. © Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris.

There are currently two temporary Monet exhibitions in Paris that will close in 2011. There is the Monet retrospective at the Grand Palais – organised by the Musée d’Orsay, and there is another at the Musée Marmatton Monet, from 7 October 2011 through to 20 February 2011. This exhibition, Claude Monet: son musée, presents for the first time the whole collection of Monet owned by the Musée Marmatton Monet – the biggest single collection of Monet paintings and other artefacts in the World. On show are 136 pieces by Monet, as well as a few others by his contemporaries. [Read more →]

Please Note: This exhibition has now ended. If you are visiting Paris and would like to see Monet’s art, click here for my >> Paris Impressionist Guide … for all the information about Monet and the other French Impressionists in Paris.

Claude Monet, 1878, The Rue Montorgueil in Paris. Celebration of June 30, 1878. Oil on Canvas 81 cm x 50 cm. © Musée d’Orsay.

Today, on the eve of what is being billed as one of the most significant art exhibitions in Paris for years, it is hard to imagine that the artist in the spotlight was once dismissed by the very nation that now holds him up as a national hero. Tomorrow, 22 September 2010, is the opening at the Grand Palais in Paris of the first major retrospective in thirty years of Claude Monet’s work. [Read more →]

For Monet fans visiting Paris, getting from Paris to Giverny, even for just a day-trip, is not only easy it is very rewarding and should definitely be done. Interestingly, and perhaps not that surprisingly, the connection between Gare Saint Lazare and Monet goes back to the 1870s. During the winter of 1876/7 Monet painted the station at least seven times, and together these paintings play an important part in the development of Impressionism. [Read more →]

National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.

Currently on show at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne is a collection of 19th and 20th Century European masters from the permanent collection of the Städel Museum in Frankfurt. Besides a remarkable collection of German artists, the exhibition also includes art works by some of the greatest French, Belgian, Dutch and Swiss masters of the 19th and 20th centuries. Chronological themes therefore range from Neo-Classicism, to Realism, Impressionism and Symbolism works, as well as some German Expressionist paintings and sculpture. [Read more →]

Georges Clemenceau, Claude Monet and Alice Butler on the Japanese bridge in Monet’s garden in Giverny. This photograph was taken by Henri Martinie in June 1921. © Musée Clemenceau, Paris.

When Claude Monet died, Georges Clemenceau was there to pay a final farewell to his long-time friend. It is said that upon finding Monet’s coffin draped with the customary black pall Clemenceau snatched away the cloth and replaced it with a multi-coloured shawl, saying “Pas de noir pour Monet.” (Not black for Monet.) [Read more →]

Claude Monet 1883 Houses on the Old Bridge. Oil on Canvass. @New Orleans Museum of Art. Promised and Partial Gift of Mrs. John N. Weinstock in memory of Mr. and Mrs. B. Bernard Kreisler.

Shortly after moving to Giverny in April 1883, Claude Monet began painting some of the local landmarks. The church at Vernon was one of these, and he would revisit this subject again 11 years later. Another very quaint, historical landmark he painted in the summer of 1883 is the Old Bridge; definitely worth a quick visit for anyone on their way to Giverny via Vernon. [Read more →]

Honfleur is a quaint seaside town on the Normandy coast. It is a popular tourist attraction today, and deservedly so. There are traditional narrow, cobble-stone streets that are still lined with old timber-frame houses that lead away from a 17th Century harbour. A wonderful setting for a few days holiday, or a great day out. Monet was also inspired by Honfleur, and that part of the Normandy coast. [Read more →]