In the heart of Normandy and Ile-de-France (Paris Region), Impressionism came to life and created cultural treasures that are exhibited all over the world. Don’t miss the chance to discover these Impressionist masterpieces in Normandy’s world-class museums. We’ve listed a few places to help you enjoy this unique artistic experience.
Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series
Claude Monet began painting his Water Lilies series in Giverny in 1899. This series was to become a major part of his oeuvre. But why are Monet’s Water Lilies so famous? Apart from the beauty that emanates from these paintings, it is mainly because they are the perfect combination of what Monet loved to paint: flowers and the reflections of water. Each painting in the Water Lilies series captures a changing reality, where light and weather conditions add a unique dimension to each representation.
In Normandy, you can find the Water Lilies in three different museums! First, at the Musée Blanche Hoschedé-Monet in Vernon, you can see one of the Water Lilies paintings from 1908. Then head to Le Havre and the MuMa (André Malraux Museum of Modern Art), which has a darker version of the Water Lilies, painted in 1904. You can also admire ‘Water Lilies with Willow Branches’ from 1916-1919 at the Musée des Impressionismes in Giverny.
‘Lady in White on the Beach at Trouville’ by Eugène Boudin
Two centuries later, the works of Eugène Boudin, the forerunner of Impressionism, still adorn local museums, testifying to an artistic heritage that has been preserved over time. The Eugène Boudin Museum in Honfleur has the largest collection of works by the artist born in this beautiful Normandy port.
You can admire, for example, his 1869 painting ‘Dame en blanc sur la plage de Trouville’ (Woman in White on the Beach at Trouville), which was exhibited at the MuMa in Le Havre. This painting is truly representative of his work, as Boudin devoted part of his life to painting life on the beaches of Normandy. The painting also shows the development of Trouville, which became a popular holiday destination for Parisians after the opening of new railway lines in the early 1860s. Boudin’s view of these changes, like many of his paintings, is a testament to the times and their changes.
‘Bed of daisies’ by Gustave Caillebotte
Although a Parisian, Gustave Caillebotte was a regular visitor to Normandy. In particular, he visited the coast every summer. In fact, it is likely that ‘Bed of daisies’ was painted in Normandy. But to this day, no one knows for sure, and the painting is still shrouded in mystery… Initially, the work was exhibited in four panels at the Musée des Impressionismes in Giverny, while other fragments were kept in the museum’s storerooms. In 2021, the work underwent a major restoration to reassemble the various parts of the canvas. However, some fragments were missing, forcing the restorers to carry out a delicate restoration. A number of questions remain unanswered, such as the original location of the work, why it is unfinished and what the missing pieces were for.
Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894), Parterre de marguerites, circa 1893,
Giverny, Musée des Impressionnismes, acquired thanks to the generosity of the Caisse des Dépôts, the Caisse d’Épargne Normandie, the SNCF Réseau, the Société des Amis du Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny and a public subscription in 2016.
© Giverny, musée des impressionnismes
Photo: François Doury
‘Rouen Cathedral. Façade and Tour d’Albane. Grey weather’ by Claude Monet
The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rouen houses one of the paintings from Monet’s Cathedrals series. Captivated by Rouen Cathedral and its infinite variations of colour, the artist set himself the task of depicting all its possible reflections. Each brushstroke reflects his obsession with the changing light and subtle nuances that transform the cathedral over time. And it’s only a 10-minute walk from the museum to see Rouen Cathedral, which is the tallest in France!
‘Dieppe Beach View From The Cliff West’ by Eva Gonzales
At the heart of the Dieppe Museum is the sublime canvas “Dieppe Beach View from the Cliff West’, painted by Eva Gonzalès. The artist belonged to the closed circle of female Impressionists. A pupil of Édouard Manet, she visited Normandy several times and painted this scene in Dieppe in 1871. This work reflects the beautiful beach of Dieppe and makes you want to teleport yourself there.
‘The Seine at La Bouille, a Gust of Wind’ by Alfred Sisley
Like a window opening onto a moment of tranquillity, ‘The Seine at La Bouille (Sahurs)’ is a magnificent painting in soft colours, in which Sisley manages to capture the light of the sky and the calm waters of the River Seine. It’s a real moment of escape and makes you want to take the undulating path along the edge of the forest. This 1894 work can be seen at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rouen.
Skies, by Eugène Boudin
Alexandre Dumas called him ‘the man of the skies par excellence‘. In Le Havre, the MuMa has fifteen sky paintings by Boudin in its collections, dating from 1848 to 1895. Boudin was a master at depicting clouds dancing in the sunlight. Different shades of blue, yellow and grey remind us that a sky is never the same, especially here in Normandy!
‘Portrait of Nini Lopez’ by Auguste Renoir
Nini Lopez was Renoir’s muse for six years. She appeared in fourteen of his paintings. Renoir painted ‘Portrait of Nini Lopez’ in 1876, a productive year in the artist’s life, when he also painted his famous paintings ‘Le bal du moulin de la galette’ and ‘La Balançoire’. Renoir offers us an intimate portrait of Nini Lopez. An enchanting portrait in which the young woman appears pensive or dreamy. This painting is on display at the MuMa in Le Havre.
‘The Boieldieu Bridge in Rouen, sunset, foggy weather’ Camille Pissarro
Pissarro captured the booming industrial city of Rouen in his 1896 painting ‘The Boieldieu Bridge in Rouen, Sunset, Foggy Weather’. The painting reflects the vibrancy of the industrial revolution on the quays of Rouen, as the painter explained in a letter to his son: ‘A motif of an iron bridge in wet weather, with all the traffic of cars, pedestrians, workers on the quays, boats, smoke, mist in the distance, very lively and very eventful’. This painting, on display at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rouen, allows us to compare the changes that have taken place in the city over more than a century.
‘Etretat, La Manneporte, Reflections on the Water’ by Claude Monet
Monet felt inspired by Étretat as early as 1868. He returned there again between 1883 and 1886, painting around fifty pictures of the impressive and dramatic cliffs. What particularly interested him about Étretat were the many variations of light on the sea and the cliffs. Here, in the painting ‘Étretat. La Manneporte, reflets sur l’eau’, painted in the autumn of 1885, the rock is tinted with pink and yellow. The colours are similar to those of the sea and blend in with its blue. On display at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Caen, we invite you to come and admire the colours of this painting.
In exceptional circumstances, the paintings presented in this article may be loaned to other institutions.
Thematics