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Before the Water Lilies. Monet discovers Giverny, 1883-1890 

To mark the centenary of Claude Monet’s passing (on 5 December 1926), the Musée des impressionnismes Giverny presents an exceptional exhibition devoted to the artist’s early years in the village of Giverny, from his arrival in 1883 to the end of 1890, when he became the owner of his house and began designing his garden.

During these formative years, Monet explored his new surroundings: poppies, poplars, meadows and hills, the banks of the Epte and the Seine, all part of a landscape shaped by rain and mist, sunlight and shifting skies.

The exhibition aims to bring back to their very sites of creation around thirty works through which the master of Impressionism made the village and its surroundings his own, offering visitors the magical experience of seeing the landscapes of Giverny through Monet’s eyes, both within the galleries and beyond them.

Curators: Cyrille Sciama, General Director of the Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny and Chief Heritage Curator, and Marie Delbarre, Research Assistant at the Musée des impressionnismes Giverny

Online ticket office opens in January 2026

Credits:
Claude Monet (1840-1926)
Autoportrait au béret, 1886
Huile sur toile, 56 x 46 cm
Collection particulière
© Tous droits réservés / Roy fox Fine Art Photography

Practical information

Opening days:

The exhibition will be open from March, 27 to July, 5, 2026.

Full price | Concession price

  • Adults: €12 | €9
  • Audioguide : €4/person (FR or EN)

Free entry for:

  • Visitors under 18.
  • All individual visitors on the first Sunday of the months of April, May and June.

See more about Impressionism

The museum invites you to discover the multiple facets of impressionism.