Monet, painting time

2026 will be the centenary of the death of the painter Claude Monet (1840-1926). To mark this anniversary, the Musée de l'Orangerie is organizing an exhibition focusing on his body of work's relationship with time. In the 1870s, he was regarded as the impressionist artist par excellence, even though he only took part in five of the group's exhibitions. His work was not long in becoming synonymous with the "new painting", as it seemed to encapsulate the movement's characteristics to the full (usually practiced in the open air, with rapid brushstrokes and clear harmonies capturing momentary impressions), before culminating in one of its most unusual and remarkable extensions. In the 1890s, with such series as Les cathédrales [The Cathedrals], Les meules [The Haystacks] and Les peupliers [The Poplars], the painter adopted an approach that almost seemed to be dissecting time, until the final testament of the Nymphéas [Water Lilies] series, which solved the seemingly insurmountable problem of fragmentation and so merged into the continuum.

Curatorship

Cécile Girardeau, Chief Curator, Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris
Sophie Eloy, Collections Officer, Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris

 Exhibition on display:

September 30, 2026, to January 25, 2027, at the Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris

February 25 to June 27, 2027, at Tate Modern, London