Museum of Modern Art

11 West 53rd Street

New York, NY 10019

(212) 708-9400

Monet's Water Lilies

September 13, 2009-April 12, 2010

The Museum of Modern Art is pleased to present the exhibition of the full group of Claude Monet's latest paintings in the Water Lilies installation. The artist's body of work features a large triptych (Water Lilies, 1914-1926), a smaller one-piece painting of water lilies (Water Lilies 1914-1926) The Japanese Footbridge (1920-1922), and Agapanthus (1914-1926).

The common subject of these pieces is nature. This final major series in Monet's long career was inspired by the Japanese-esque gardens he designed in his home in Giverny. In this way, Monet was able to capture the scenes before in a true and natural light. He was able to capture the moment in time. The extravagant scenes before him allowed him to perfectly capture the reflection in the water, the changing rays of sunlight during different parts of the day, and the vivid colors of nature. More than just depict the scenes before him, Monet managed to inject a peaceful and tranquil aura into the scenes he painted.

In "Japanese Footbridge," one of the later pieces in the series Monet makes a drastic change in color scheme and style. The painting is easily distinguishable by its rusty, orange tone, a change from the more natural blues and greens usually used by the artist. In this painting, the artist is more free with his brush strokes and displays the bridge in a less straight forward manner than is characteristic of a Claude Monet.

Exhibitions of Monet's work can be seen in various countries throught the world. Recent exhibitions include "Claude Monet: 1840-1926" at The Art Institute of Chicago, "Monet in the 20th Century" at The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and "The Unknown Monet: Pastels and Drawings" at The Royal Academy of Arts in London. Monet will be included in the upcoming exhibitions, "A City for Impressionism: Monet, Pissarro and Gauguin at The Fine Arts Museum in Rouen from June 4, 2010 to September 26, 2010, and "Side by Side: Oberlin Masterworks" at the Phillips from September 11, 2010 to January 16, 2011.