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Biography
Who was Claude Monet?
Born in Paris, France
1840
Died in Giverny, France
1926
Age at death
86
Works on this page
12
Museums to visit
6
Oscar-Claude Monet was a French painter and founder of Impressionism who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his long career, he was the most consistent and prolific practitioner of Impressionism's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions of nature, especially as applied to plein air (outdoor) landscape painting. The term "Impressionism" is derived from the title of his painting Impression, Sunrise (Impression, soleil levant), which was exhibited in 1874 at the First Impressionist Exhibition, initiated by Monet and a number of like-minded artists as an alternative to the Salon.From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
The life and work of Claude Monet
Claude Monet grew up in Le Havre. He excelled at caricatures to begin with but Boudin, an early mentor persuaded him to take up landscape painting. In 1859 he attended the Academie Suisse in Paris where he befriended Pissarro. Following two years’ military service he continued his training with Jongkind, followed by time spent in the studio of Gleyre in 1862. At this time he met Renoir, Sisley and Bazille, all of whom were to become core members of the Impressionist movement.
In 1870 Monet moved to London to escape the Franco-Prussian War. He stayed with Pissarro and met the influential dealer Durand-Ruel. Then from 1871 to 1876, based in Argenteuil, he produced some of his most accomplished works. By 1890 he had found success. His subsequent paintings continued his exploration of light on his subjects as he produced ‘Haystacks’ (1890-1891) and ‘Rouen Cathedral’ (1891-1895), two amongst many studies in which the artist painted the same subject at different times of the day.
His latter years were spent painting his water-garden in Giverny, which led to a series entitled ‘Waterlilies’. Monet was one of the founders and archetypal members of the Impressionist movement. He produced a huge amount of work during his career and his work is still present in many galleries around the world today.
Well-known works by Claude Monet include Impression, Sunrise, Rouen Cathedral Series, Garden at Sainte-Adresse, Woman with a Parasol – Madame Monet and Her Son and Haystacks.
Where can I see Claude Monet's art?
Museums holding the works on this page include Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York); Musée d'Orsay (Paris); Musée Marmottan Monet (Paris); National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.); Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg). Check with each museum that a work is on display before you visit.
