Centenary of Claude Monet’s passing

In 2026, Normandy and the Paris Region are celebrating the centenary of Claude Monet’s passing

On 5 December 1926, Claude Monet, the master of Impressionism, died in the village of Giverny in Normandy. One century on, the Paris Region and Normandy, so the two French regions where he was born and brought up, where he lived and created, pay homage to this icon of modern art.

With around 2,000 canvases of his on display around the world, there’s no doubting that Monet is the most iconic painter of all the Impressionists. Among his most famous masterpieces are his series of Nymphéas (Water Lilies) and studies of the Cathédrale de Rouen, his Coquelicots (Poppies), and of course Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), the painting that would give its name to the entire artistic movement. All of these works are intimately linked to the landscapes and the shifting light and atmospheres that inspired him, from Paris to the Normandy coast.

A year of celebrations following in the artist’s footsteps

From March 2026 onwards, both Normandy and the Paris Region, united under one banner as the Impressionist destination, are celebrating the memory of this truly exceptional artist. Monet wasn’t simply a painter, but also a fine gardener, as well as a gourmet. These celebrations will encourage visitors to (re)visit:

• our museums, housing the widest collections of his works: in Paris, the Musée Marmottan Monet, musée d’Orsay and musée de l’Orangerie, as well as museums around Normandy, in Rouen, Le Havre, Giverny and Honfleur;
• the houses where Monet lived in Argenteuil, Vétheuil and Giverny. Open to visitors, they allow you to enter into the artist’s everyday personal life;
• the landscapes that fed Monet’s creativity, such as Paris’s Grands Boulevards, the forests of Fontainebleau and Marly, the banks of the Seine around Croissy, Bougival and Chatou, Rouen Cathedral, the cliffs at Étretat, the ports of Honfleur and Le Havre, not forgetting Monet’s gardens at Giverny, veritable living works

Original exhibitions to mark the centenary of Claude Monet’s passing in 2026

The leading museums in the Paris Region and Normandy are paying homage to the master of Impressionism via major exhibitions, dedicated to different periods in the painter’s life, from his earliest canvases breaking away from traditional academic art to his series that went on to inspire so many artists:

• Monet in Le Havre, at the Musée d’Art Moderne André Malraux – MuMa looks back to the young Monet’s formative years, during which he painted his first works outdoors (en plein air) and encountered other artists who would also become Impressionists;
• Before the Water Lilies. Monet discovers Giverny, 1883 – 1890 , at the Musée des impressionnismes Giverny brings works that Monet made in his first years at Giverny back to the very site of their creation. It offers visitors the chance to discover local landscapes first through Monet’s eyes in the galleries, then to explore them as they are today, beyond the museum;
• Monet and timeat the Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris. This exhibition-event examines Monet’s relationship with time, presenting his major series, notably the Rouen Cathedral series, in which he explores the variations of time on a single motif, right up to the Grandes Décorations des Nymphéas, a testamentary work that takes this reflection to its logical conclusion. To further immerse yourself in the world of the Impressionist master, the virtual reality experience, Monet on the Wateris available to visitors;
• Histories of Landscapes from Monet to Hockney (1890 – 2025) at the Musée Marmottan Monet (Paris). The museum hosting the largest collection of Monet’s works in the world proposes a major exhibition focusing on landscape painting. It notably reveals the influence of the master of Impressionism on painters of the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

Normandy Impressionist Festival 2026: Monet’s Giverny Gardens reinvented

This festival’s 2026 edition is dedicated to Monet’s gardens in Giverny. Designed as a veritable work of art in its own right, the water garden influenced the great painter’s transition towards abstraction and symbolises a decisive moment in the history of modern art. From 29 May to 27 September 2026, some 60 exclusively contemporary artistic projects, covering the visual arts, music, film, dance and more, will be put on right across Normandy. This special edition will welcome major artists from different generations, international names (from Japan, China, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and more) and new French talents.

Over 100 events across the Paris Region and Normandy

This exceptional year will be punctuated by over 100 events taking place across the whole of our Destination Impressionism. Exhibitions, workshops, tours, walks, cruises, hikes, lectures, shows, artistic experiences, picnics… will for example be on offer, scattered about such places as Giverny, Vernon, Rouen, Dieppe, Honfleur, the banks of the Seine close to Paris (Argenteuil, Chatou, Rueil Malmaison, Bougival) and Yerres.

We’re providing you with so many opportunities to savour the moment like Monet!