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At the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, I found this Monet, showing how he painted in his boat.  It explained how he captured some of his work at close range, and on his own pond.

In 1995, I saw his huge retrospective at the Chicago Art Institute in Chicago.  It was the first location to have held it and the only one that year because Chicago was the first city to patronize the Impressionists.  There was a slow and reluctant market in Paris, and the new American market infused a whole new source of income to the artists.

As an art student overseas in 1978, I got to Paris and saw the original Impressionist Gallery, Jeu de Paume, before the Musee d'Orsay existed.  

 Since then, I've had the wonder and joy of seeing his works at both of the Museums above, and spent a lot of time absorbing the 360 degree gallery of his infamous waterlilies in the final hall.  (An example of the waterlilies can be seen above in my snap from the Cleveland Art Institute). I did not have any images from l'Orangerie.

 

  On our recent trip to Paris, we visited the Marmottan Monet Museum, a mansion that housed one of the largest bequeathed collections of Monet to a single place.  

Not only did the Marmatton have Monet's collection, but it housed priceless objects d'art throughout.  The above painting, one of Monet's quick paintings, was said to have coined the description of the works of the Impressionists.  It was added to an exhibition last minute with the title "Impression of a Sunset".  The publicist grasped onto this and used it to describe the works of his contemporaries from then on.  The word stuck.

Michel, Monet's son, bequeathed his father's remaining paintings to Paul Marmottan because of his reputation and integrity.  He knew they would be shown with the dignity and space necessary.

My next post will show his home and gardens at Giverny.