Monet and the Seine: Impressions of a River October 25, 2014–January 31, 2015
Claude Monet, The Ice Floes (Les Glaçons), 1880, oil on canvas, Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont.
Claude Monet, The Seine near Giverny, 1885, oil on canvas, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Museum Appropriation Fund, by exchange.
Claude Monet, Ships Riding on the Seine at Rouen, 1872/73, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection.
Claude Monet, Morning on the Seine, near Giverny, 1897, oil on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, gift of Mrs. W. Scott Fitz.
Claude Monet, Morning on the Seine, Giverny, 1897, oil on canvas, Mead Art Museum, Amherst College, Bequest of Miss Susan Dwight Bliss.
Claude Monet, The Seine at Lavacourt, 1880, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, Munger Fund.
Claude Monet, The Seine at Bougival, 1869, oil on canvas, Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire, museum purchase: Currier Funds.
Claude Monet, The Church at Vétheuil, 1879, oil on canvas, Southampton City Art Gallery, Hampshire, UK, Image: The Bridgeman Art Library.
“I have painted the Seine throughout my life, at every hour, at every season. I have never tired of it: for me the Seine is always new.” —Claude Monet
Monet and the Seine: Impressions of a River examines Claude Monet’s abiding fascination with the Seine by tracing his life along the iconic French waterway, both chronologically and geographically. Monet (1840–1926) used the river from an early point in his career to explore many of the artistic concerns that define his oeuvre, such as the transformative effects of light and atmosphere.
This beautiful exhibition brings together more than 50 paintings on loan from locations around the world. Beginning with scenes of leisure activities, modern life, and cityscapes along the Seine, the presentation culminates in the ethereal works from the Impressionist painter’s famous Mornings on the Seine series.
The canvases provide an intimate look at the Seine, a subject essential to Monet’s identity as an artist. The celebrated river captivated Monet more than any other theme, inspiring a vast number of paintings and surpassing even his defining series of water lilies by more than 100 works.
Exhibition Catalogue
For information about the illustrated exhibition catalogue, copublished by the MFAH and the Philbrook Museum of Art, contact The MFAH Shop (713.639.7360) or the Hirsch Library (713.639.7325).
This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa. An indemnity has been granted by the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
Lead Corporate Sponsor:
Additional generous funding is provided by:
Kinder Foundation
The Rand Group
Carol and Michael and the Michael C. Linn Family Foundation
Official Media Partner:
