Normandy Region

Rachel has always been a budding artist. From the time she could hold a pencil, we have found her work adorning our walls, scrap pieces of paper, and even the back seat of our van. Lately, she’s channeled that obsession by practicing different techniques and learning about art history. When planning our trip to France, we knew we wanted to lean into her passion by exposing her to the work and inspiration of some of the world’s most famous artists. So, after leaving Paris, we spent several hours exploring the home and gardens of Claude Monet, walking in his footsteps, and enjoying the nature that he found so extraordinary.

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Claude Monet

Claude Monet was born in Paris in 1840 but spent most of his childhood in Le Havre, Normandy. As a child, he was interested in both the outdoors and art, and he would sometimes skip school to walk along the cliffs and beaches near where he lived. From a young age, Monet was well-known in his community for his caricatures of local residents, which he would often sell for 10 to 20 francs. In 1856, Monet befriended Eugéne Boudin, a local landscape artist, who served as his mentor and introduced him to the concept of en plein air (outdoor) painting.

Following the death of his beloved and supportive mother, he moved to Paris and studied at the Académie Suisse where he met fellow classmate Auguste Renoir. Monet was the founder of the Impressionist Movement. In fact, he is even responsible for its name. In 1873, his work Impression, Sunrise (French: Impression, Soleil Levant) was used as the basis for the derogatory title of “Impressionist” that Louis Leroy and other critics used to describe artists who focused less on realism and more on form and light.

Giverny

Giverny is a small village located on the bank of the Seine River about 80 km west, northwest of Paris in the region of Normandy. Claude Monet fell in love with the town and found a house and garden to rent for himself, his second wife, and their (combined) eight children. Later, after experiencing more success with his paintings, he was able to buy the house and land and expand it. He is not the only one inspired by the beauty of this region. Several American artists were drawn there and formed an art colony that was quite active from the late 1880’s until the beginning of World War I.

Monet’s Gardens

After purchasing the former rental property in 1890, Monet began the painstaking work of creating the various gardens that would inspire many of his most famous paintings.

Fascinated by the way light created a mirror effect in the water, Monet set out to create a natural landscape that would provide an endless supply of inspiration for himself and his guests. One of the most iconic structures is the Japanese bridge that he constructed in his water garden. He painted it a striking green rather than the traditional red and it has become a trademark feature in his life’s work.

In addition to being known for his Impressionist style of work, Monet was also famous for painting the same scene over and over, capturing the changing of light or seasons. One of the most famous examples is the collection of paintings featuring his water lilies.

Monet greatly enjoyed entertaining friends and fellow artists in his garden and was known to spend several hours preparing for his guests by removing each dead leaf from the pond so that the garden would be at its very best.

The House

The house consists of a series of rooms that have been extensively restored. Monet’s bedroom features photographs displaying his rich social life. Visitors can also view some reproductions of famous paintings by his friends, Cezanne and Renoir (the originals are displayed in museums throughout Europe). Our girls enjoyed the view of the property from Monet’s private bedroom window. Quite a few gifts and priceless antiques were on display throughout the home. The bright yellow dining room and blue tiled kitchen were restored beautifully and brought more of the vibrant colors from the exterior gardens into the home.

Takeaways:

We spent an extensive amount of time in the gardens and were pleasantly surprised by how much we all enjoyed our self-guided tour of the property. We had been concerned that Sophie, who was 9, might find it boring. Instead, she ended up grabbing my phone and attempting to capture each beautiful flower and scene along the way.

By the time we finished our tour and exited through the gift shop and art studio, we were surprised by how many hours we had spent. Even for the non-art lover, there is plenty of history and relaxing outdoor beauty here to make this a must-see destination during a visit to the Normandy region.

For more information, or to schedule your own tour, follow this link:

Claude Monet Information and Home Tour