Musée Marmottan Monet

Visiting the Musée Marmottan Monet entails taking a fascinating step back in time. This gorgeous mansion offers the public a unique opportunity to admire, in a room designed specially for the purpose, a collection of almost 100 canvases by Claude Monet – including some of the artist’s masterpieces. Be sure to start with the iconic “Impression, Rising Sun”, the work that gave the Impressionist movement its name.

The paintings, bequeathed by the artist’s family, came from Monet’s house in Giverny and are presented in a 200m2 room dedicated to the master’s works. You can admire canvases he painted in Normandy (“Rouen Cathedral at the End of Day, Sunlight Effect”), in Paris (“Pont de l’Europe, Gare Saint-Lazare”), London (“Houses of Parliament, Reflections on the Thames”) and, of course, Giverny (“Japanese Bridge”), as well as an incomparable series of Water Lilies. Alongside these masterpieces you can also admire the artist’s sketchbooks, palettes, letters, photographs and personal objects.

The artistic journey doesn’t stop there. As well as the Monets, you will discover all the great names in Impressionist painting. As you stroll through the beautiful rooms, you can admire works by masters including Eugène Boudin, Camille Corot, Caillebotte, Paul Gauguin, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, Edgar Degas, Auguste Rodin, Paul Signac and Édouard Manet, making this museum a must-see. It also holds the world’s largest collection of works by the illustrious Berthe Morisot.

Dream setting

The museum was originally owned by the great collector Paul Marmottan, who bequeathed his mansion to the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Open to the public since 1934, the museum originally exhibited Marmottan’s impressive Empire style decorative arts collection. Today, it can still be admired within the house’s sumptuous setting, with its elegant chevron parquet and crystal chandeliers. Over the past century, the museum has continued to enrich its collection thanks to numerous donations – notably by Michel Monet, Monet’s second son. After your visit, take a peek around the museum bookstore, which has an extensive selection of books dedicated to Impressionism as well as a wide choice of stationery, gifts, reproductions, jewellery, t-shirts and DVDs.

Did you enjoy this tour of Monet's impressionism ? Do not miss out on the other exhibitions in Paris Region.