This is a house of an artist.
This house and the gardens are where Claude Monet lived and painted for 43 years. The estate was classified as a monument historique in 1976.
Located in Giverny, France, the Monet house is the second most visited tourist site in Normandy after the Mont Saint-Michel.
Monet’s Impressionist paintings of gardens, ponds and weeping willows all originated in this house and on this property.
The house itself has a magical, artistic quality with its many paintings, vibrant colors, and old world charm.
This is the famous Yellow Dining Room, for obvious reasons.
Claude Monet lived and painted here from 1883 until his death in 1926. During his time here, he directed the renovation and expansion of the house.
Reportedly, colors from the painter’s actual palette were used for the interior – green for the doors and shutters, yellow in the dining room, and blue for the kitchen.
Isn’t it amazing? The epitome of French country décor!
Look at the tile work! And that antique stove.
Many of Monet’s paintings are exhibited throughout the home, salon style.
Guests can wander throughout the home, taking in not only Monet’s art, but the period furnishings and décor.
Have a look in some of the bedrooms… decorated in French country cottage style.
Monet first rented this house but by 1890, he had earned enough money through his art to purchase the estate outright. He was able to add on and created a larger studio for himself.
Monet lived here with his wife and two children.
When Monet died in 1926, the entire estate was passed on to his son Michel. Since Michel never spent much time in Giverny, the property eventually fell into disrepair.
Sadly, Michel Monet died heirless in a car crash in 1966. But he had bequeathed the estate to the Académie des beaux-arts. From 1977 onwards, the Académie began a conscientious restoration of the neglected house and gardens.
The Fondation Claude Monet was created in 1980 and the estate was opened to the general public. It became very successful and now welcomes visitors from around the world from April to November.
Let’s have a look at the famous gardens…
You can see from these photographs how Monet was inspired to paint plein air landscapes of his own gardens. He never really had to leave home for inspiration.
Monet actually had the nearby river Epte diverted for his gardens and ponds and hired up to seven gardeners to tend to it.
Monet believed it was important to surround himself with the beauty of nature and to paint outdoors in nature.
Imagine having a life where you can wander at your leisure in your lush, beautiful garden day in and day out, painting what you see.
Claude Monet lived just that life.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fondation_Monet_in_Giverny
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/claude-monet-house-and-gardens
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