Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Marmottan Monet Museum originated in the donation of art historian Paul Marmottan, who in 1932 left his mansion and collections (Renaissance and First Empire) to the Academy of Fine Arts. The hotel, built from a hunting lodge purchased in 1882 by his father Jules Marmottan, already housed medieval and Napoleonic works. Opened to the public in 1934, the museum gradually enriched with major donations, becoming a high place of Impressionist art.

In 1957, Victorine Donop de Monchy offered 11 impressionist paintings, including Impression, the rising sun of Monet, inherited from his father Georges de Bellio. In 1966, Michel Monet, the last descendant of the painter, left 89 paintings of his father, leading to the creation of a dedicated room in 1970. These acquisitions, complemented by the Duhem (1985) and Rouart (1993) collections, make the museum the first world fund for Monet and Morisot.

The museum was also marked by a spectacular flight in 1985: nine Impressionist canvases, including four Monet, were stolen by the Aubervilliers gang before being found in Corsica in 1990. These events, along with exceptional legacies (Wildenstein lights in 1980, Henri Duhem bronzes), have strengthened his international reputation.

The permanent collections cover the art of the First Empire (furniture, sculptures, paintings by David or Ingres), Impressionism (Monet, Renoir, Degas, Morisot) and medieval illuminations. The museum also organizes temporary thematic exhibitions, attracting more than two million visitors between 2013 and 2018.

The management of the museum, entrusted to a director who was a member of the Academy of Fine Arts, has at times provoked controversy, particularly with regard to the sale of furniture from its collection between 1970 and 2000. Today, it remains a must-see place for the study of 19th and 20th century French Impressionism and Art.

Collection

Certaines des oeuvres les plus célèbres de Monet sont exposées au musée, qui porte aujourd'hui son nom : notamment le célèbre Impression soleil levant, qui est la première peinture proprement impressionniste (et qui a d'ailleurs donné son nom au mouvement),...

External links