MONET | PALAZZO REALE MILANO | 18 september 2021- 30 genuary2022

On 18 September, the autumn season at the Palazzo Reale in Milan will be inaugurated by the much awaited exhibition devoted to the leading representative of Impressionism: CLAUDE #monet.
Promoted by the Cultural Department of the Municipality of Milan and produced by Palazzo Reale and Arthemisia, the exhibition is curated by Marianne Mathieu and hosted in collaboration with the Musée Marmottan #monet of Paris, the lender of the whole body of works, and the Académie Des Beaux – Arts – Institut de France.

The exhibition falls within the museum and exhibit project “World Museums at the Palazzo Reale”, developed with the aim of promoting the collections and history of leading international museums.
The exhibit itinerary features 53 works by #monet, including Water Lilies (1916-1919), Houses of Parliament, Reflections on the Thames (1905) and The Roses (1925-1926), his last, magic work. This is an extraordinary loan, not just because it brings together some real gems from Monet’s artistic output, but also considering how difficult it is to move artworks from one country to another in this period.

The chronological itinerary covers the Impressionist master’s entire artistic trajectory, interpreted through works that the artist himself regarded as fundamental, private ones – so much so that he kept them in his home in Giverny. These paintings, which #monet always refused to sell, express powerful emotions associated with his artistic genius.

The Musée Marmottan #monet – whose history is illustrated along the exhibit itinerary – possesses the world’s largest collection of #monet artworks, stemming from a generous donation that in 1966 his son Michel made to the museum – which was to acquire the name of “Marmottan Monet”.
Subdivided into 7 sections and curated by Marianne Mathieu – an art historian and the scientific director of the Musée Marmottan #monet in Paris – the exhibition leads visitors to discover key works in the history of Impressionism and in Monet’s artistic research on light reflections and changes – the alpha and omega of his artistic approach.

The exhibition provides an overview of the Impressionist master’s entire artistic career: from his very first works illustrating the new method of en plein air painting – small-size canvases – to the rural and urban landscapes of London, Paris, Vétheuil, Pourville, and the artists’ many dwellings.
This is Monet’s world, with its rich yet delicate brush-strokes and the sometimes dim, sometimes glaring light that has ensured the fame of masterpieces such as The Beach at Trouville (1870), The Stroll (1875), and Charing Cross (1899‐1901).

But there is more to it. Verdant weeping willows, dream-like rose paths, and solitary Japanese bridges; monumental water-lilies, wisterias with evanescent hues, and a portrayal of nature in each of its fleeting instants.

The exhibition is supported by Generali Valore Cultura, the programme of Generali #italia to promote art and culture throughout Italy and help a vast and heterogeneous public – families, young #people, clients, and employees – discover the world of art through discounted admissions to exhibitions, theatrical performances, and artistic and cultural events and activities, for the purpose of creating shared values.

Special partner: Ricola.
The event is recommended by Sky #arte.
Catalogue published by Skira.

THE EXHIBITION
The exhibition begins by introducing visitors to a room furnished with original pieces from the Napoleonic period. This is intended as a homage to Paul Marmottan, the founder of the Musée Marmottan #monet, the lender of the Claude #monet works on display in the Palazzo Reale in Milan.
A passionate scholar of the First Empire, over the course of his life Paul Marmottan collected a variety of relics from that moment in European history, which he regarded as a gateway to modernity. His collection of artworks, books, medals, prints, almanacs, documents and antiques from the Napoleonic period was preserved in rooms furnished in the Empire style and decorated with niches and marble sculptures, in keeping with Neoclassical criteria.

Marmottan is personally responsible for every detail of the décor. In accordance with his will, the arrangement of the room was preserved when, after his death, the palace and its collections were bequeathed to the Académie des beaux-arts in order to be converted into a museum open to the public.

Marmottan, who had a keen interest in the history of imperial residences, including the Palazzo Reale in Milan, published his research through articles in specialist journals. The documents he retrieved in institutional archives and private collections now constitute an important source of information for scholars and researchers.

The exhibition therefore opens with references to the origins of the Musée Marmottan #monet, which over the course of the 20th century expanded its collections through significant donations of Impressionist works – most notably, the collection bequeathed by Claude Monet’s son, Michel.
The research and studies conducted by the Direction of the Palazzo Reale for the furnishings of this room of the exhibition are part of a broader project intended to revive the collective memory by safeguarding, preserving and promoting the art-historical heritage of the Palazzo Reale.

Further information in the press release to download