Giverny

Claude Monet (1840-1926) grew up in Le Havre, moving to Paris in 1859. In 1874, his painting Impression, soleil levant led to the name of the 'Impressionist' movement, of which he was a major proponent, along with Camille Pissarro (1830-1903), Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) and Paul Cézanne (1839-1906). He began renting the house at Giverny in May 1883, and lived here with his large family - including eight children - until the success of his paintings enabled him to buy the house as well as the surrounding land. Throughout the 1890s he set about expanding the studio space and developing the garden, embarking on a major landscaping project that included the flowerbed perspectives of the 'Clos Normand' and the Japanese-inspired Water Garden.

Monet lived at Giverny until his death in 1926. His son, Michel, gifted the estate to the Académie des Beaux Arts in 1966, and it was opened to visitors in 1980, run by the newly established Fondation Claude Monet. Today visitors to Giverny can walk through Monet's house and gardens, exploring the vistas and perspectives he created, and can also view Monet's famous collection of Japanese prints.