Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée Blanche Hoschedé-Monet, originally named the Alphonse-Georges-Poulain Museum, was founded in 1862 thanks to a donation by François de Brécourt. The latter offers more than 2,000 specimens of naturalized birds and beetles, accompanied by scientific documents, allowing the creation of the municipal museum of Vernon. First installed in the town hall, he was renamed in 1966 in tribute to Alphonse-Georges Poulain, an archaeologist and curator who led the institution from 1922 to 1966. In 1983, the museum moved to a 15th century mansion, the former home of the family Le Moine de Belle-Isle, partially classified as a historical monument.

The museum specializes in Impressionist art, highlighting the landscapes of the Seine and Normandy, thanks in particular to donations from local and international artists. Claude Monet and his son Michel contributed with iconic paintings such as Les Nymphéas (1925) and Falaise à Pourville (1896). The American colony of Giverny, including Theodore Earl Butler and Mary Fairchild-MacMonnies, also enriched the collections with works such as Bord de l'Epte and Un coin de parc par temps de neige. These gifts reflect the importance of Vernon and Giverny in the history of Impressionism.

In 2024, the museum was renamed in honour of Blanche Hoschedé-Monet, the daughter-in-law of Claude Monet, who painted in Giverny. It became the only museum in the Eure department to exhibit original works by Monet and the Giverny colony, as well as a unique collection of animal art, including deposits of the Louvre and Orsay. Artists such as Rembrandt Bugatti, François Pompon and Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen are represented. The museum thus combines natural and artistic heritage, while welcoming contemporary creations in dialogue with its historical collections.

The link between Vernon and Giverny is central to understanding the influence of Norman landscapes on 19th and 20th century painting. Pierre Bonnard, installed in Vernonnet from 1912 to 1938, made landscapes on the banks of the Seine, while Maurice Denis and Félix Vallotton helped to diversify the collections. The museum, labeled "Musée de France", remains a place to discover the interactions between art, nature and local history, from the industrial era until today.

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