Saga familiale: Monet, Hoschedé-Monet et les Butler

The Musée de Vernon’s new exhibition Saga familiale: Monet, Hoschedé-Monet et les Butler immerses visitors in the creative atmosphere and daily lives of this famous stepfamily.

Art historian Philippe Piguet, also an independent exhibition curator, president of the Festival Normandie Impressionniste and himself closely related to the illustrious artisitic family, tells us how the exhibition came about:

“While Claude Monet (1840-1926) is indissociably linked with Giverny, his isn’t the only name closely associated with the place. The great painter lived here surrounded by his stepfamily, of whom three members became painters of renown. First, there was Monet’s stepdaughter, who would become his daughter-in-law, Blanche Hoschedé-Monet (1865-1947). Second, Theodore Earl Butler (1861-1936), one of several American artists who settled in the village. He would first marry Suzanne Hoschedé, then, after she had died, his sister-in-law Marthe. Finally, there was Jim, Butler (1893-1976), youngest son of Suzanne and Theodore, who would go on to live in the USA.”

“Claude, Blanche, Theodore and Jim created not just a family saga, but an artistic one too. This exhibition’s aim – and it’s a first – is to orchestrate a selection of their works in order to highlight both the links that united them and the differences in treatment, form and content that revealed their individual characters.”

“The Musée de Vernon, which already presents a choice collection of works reflecting this artistic family tale set around Giverny, provides the perfect spot for putting on such an original event that’s sure to resonate with visitors not just from Normandy, but also from much further afield.”

The exhibition Saga familiale: Monet, Hoschedé-Monet et les Butler has benefited from the support of the Musée d’Orsay, the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen and the Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny, not forgetting the loan of a selection of rarely seen family works.