Monet's Private Picture Gallery at Giverny

"Monet at home, in this house that is so modest and yet so sumptuous in its interior arrangements [...]. The person who conceived and laid out this little world, at once magnificent and homely, is a great artist not only in the composition of his paintings, but also in the creation of this "design for living" for his own pleasure..." Writing in 1922, the writer and art critic Gustave Geffroy, Monet's faithful friend and tireless champion of his work, underlined the significant role played in the artist's life and work by the 'little world' of Giverny.

Through this detailed exploration of the works that Monet chose to hang in his drawing room-studio and his bedroom at Giverny, Sylvie Patin, General Curator at the Musée d'Orsay and Corresponding Member of the Institut de France, invites us inside this 'design for living' created by Monet himself.

In these private spaces, he lived his daily life surrounded by the works of his friends, a distinguished group of outstanding artists including Boudin, Jongkind, Manet, Renoir, Berthe Morisot, Caillebotte, Pissarro, Sisley, Degas, Cézanne and Signac.

From this perceptive account there emerges a compelling portrait of the father of Impressionism, with all the generosity of his tastes, the warmth of his friendships, and the strength of his exceptional character.