My travel partner, LaughFP, and I had one last day in Paris last week and while we had originally planned to stroll around all the beautiful sites one more time, we unexpectedly found an absolute gem. While at Luxembourg Gardens, my partner saw an large sign on the garden fence advertising a Monet exhibit at Musée Luxembourg. Specifically, the exhibit was about the relationship of Claude Monet with his brother, Léon, a chemist and also an impressive art collector who supported Claude as well the other early Impressionists. A highlight of the exhibit is the first public display of a portrait of Léon by Claude.
We both love Monet and we learned a great deal in a short amount of time. As first time visitors to Paris, we were totally unfamiliar with this beautiful, relatively small museum. We were so taken by the exhibit and the experience we wanted to recommend it to anyone visiting Paris who might have an extra 1 1/2 hours. Some highlights:
- easy to get same day tickets. Museum is co-located next to the garden itself, about a five minute walk from exiting near the Médici Fountain.
- very thematically focused exhibit. We are both « read-every-description » museum-goers and still toured in 1 1/2 hours. Easy to do in one hour, also.
- Contains Monet’s paintings, yes (including one of his Rouen Cathedral series) but also Sisley, Pissarro and others.
- Interestingly also include Monet’s daughter-in-law’s paintings which are fabulous. She was a gifted painter.
- Monet was a caricaturist early in life which we did not know. A number of his small, pencil caricatures are included, and signed ‘O. Monet’ - we had never seen that signature.
- There are many more small and historic items, as well as the overarching story of Léon and his important influence over the Impressionist world expressed throughout the exhibit.
- The exhibit is available through 16 July 2023.
The day before we departed Paris, this made for a wonderful surprise!