Before making the famous water lilies ripple on his canvases, Claude Monet set up his easel in the meadows of Giverny. The Museum of Impressionisms is dedicating a major exhibition to these foundational hours, from March 27 to July 5, 2026.
Before making the famous water lilies ripple on his canvases, Claude Monet set up his easel in the meadows of Giverny. The Museum of Impressionisms is dedicating a major exhibition to these foundational hours, from March 27 to July 5, 2026.
From March 27 to July 5, 2026, the Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny opens its doors to "Before the Water Lilies: Monet Discovers Giverny, 1883-1890." A short period, barely seven years, but decisive.
The event is organized on the occasion of the centenary of the artist's death, a beautiful way to follow his trail leisurely, just before summer.
In 1883, Monet arrives in Giverny. No pond yet, no Japanese bridge: just a village nestled between meadows, banks of the Seine, and hills.
The curious painter wanders the paths, observes the light streaming across fields of poppies, and day after day captures the vibrations of the Norman countryside.
These exploratory canvases constitute the raw material of the exhibition.
When we think of Monet, we immediately envision the Water Lilies. Yet, before the famous water garden, the artist was still searching for his pictorial breath.
From 1883 to 1890, he refined a new relationship with time and nature. Hours passed, light changed, seasons transitioned: all opportunities to revisit the same view, differently.
These trials, almost genius drafts, already heralded the future aquatic cycle.
Meadows dotted with wildflowers, fields of poppies swaying in the wind, tranquil banks of the Seine: the backdrop appears simple, yet Monet discerns endless nuances within it.
The exhibition brings together an extraordinary collection of paintings where we see the artist slowly circling his subject, as if to survey it from all angles before settling down.
Announced feature: some works will be displayed at the very sites of their creation. Visitors will thus be able to look up, step out into the garden, or walk along the road and compare the canvas with the actual horizon (an experience that is always somewhat magical).
The museum thus promises a constant back-and-forth between exhibition halls, the surrounding nature, and pictorial memories.
What is striking, according to the file, is the way Monet focuses on light. He observes the reflections of the sky on the water, the soft shadows of the hills, the morning mists.
Each canvas becomes a pretext for a small chromatic laboratory. The painter is no longer just one who describes: he dissects the variations, minute by minute.
The commissioners speak of an "intense experimental phase." One can picture it, palette in hand, returning twenty times to the same motif.
No urban distraction, hardly a closed workshop: the countryside serves as the studio. It is there, according to the press release, that the foundations of his future work are laid, solid, before the turn to large formats and the water garden.
Water Lilies: A botanical term referring to water lilies. Monet made them the subject of a large series of paintings created in his garden, later, after 1890.
Impressionism: An artistic movement that emerged in the late 19th century, characterized by visible brushstrokes and the study of light effects.
The statement speaks of an exceptional collection of paintings. No comprehensive list as of yet, but it is understood that the selection will encompass meadows, hills, and neighboring villages.
Presenting these canvases in Giverny itself is one of the project's strengths: they are, in a way, coming home.
Because seeing an Impressionist painting in the light that inspired it is a little privilege. Because we slip into Monet's open-air studio. And, let's be honest, because a getaway to Giverny in springtime, between two Norman showers, always has a crazy charm (the damp smell of grass, the reflections on the Seine... we can already picture ourselves there).
Dates: March 27 to July 5, 2026.Location: Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny.The rest, such as specific times, reservations, prices, is not detailed in the received document. Therefore, it would be best to contact the museum directly to plan your visit.
The exhibition also implicitly invites visitors to explore the surroundings: meadows, banks of the Seine, neighboring villages. There is no need to rush; one can stroll, follow the same paths as Monet (or almost), pause for an impromptu sketch. The painting continues beyond the walls.
2026 marks the centennial of Claude Monet's passing. The exhibition thus emerges as one of the first steps in a broader tribute. Here, instead of focusing on the late works, we return to the foundations: a nice nod to the concept of beginning.
Browsing through these canvases from 1883-1890 is to slow down. The painter seeks the right angle, the precise moment, the exact sensation. The visitor can do the same: pause, watch the Norman sky, wait for that burst of light that Monet was already pursuing.
In essence, "Before the Water Lilies" promises a suspended moment, at the crossroads of the museum and the actual landscape. If you enjoy strolls where art and nature converse, mark the dates and let yourself be tempted.
A canvas, a garden, a ray of light: sometimes, that's all it takes to travel.
Author Audrey on 06 January 2023
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