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The home of the original Claude Monet painting that prompted the creation of the term Impressionism – Impression, Sunrise, 1872: Musée Marmottan Monet.
The review that is given credit for creating the term was written by art critic Louis Leroy in the publication Le Charivari on April 25th in 1874 the article “Exhibition des Impressionnistes”, stating “Impression—I was certain of it. I was just telling myself that, since I was impressed, there had to be some impression in it … and what freedom, what ease of workmanship! Wallpaper in an embryonic state is more finished than that seascape.”
And so one of the well-known art movements officially began being recognized.
Monet in this painting (above) captures an early morning on the port of Le Havre in the north of France. The same port that Julia and Paul Child arrived in 1948 when her now famous sojourn began as she tasted the food in France for the first time. But today we’re talking about Monet, and as I have shared before, following reading the biography by Jackie Wullschläger —Monet: The Restless Vision (2023 in the UK, and 2024 in the US), a book I highly recommend as it is the first biography to include letters from Monet ever shared as well as translated into English, I continue to be inspired and in awe by his genuine passion for painting.
The largest permanent collection of Claude Monet’s paintings resides in Paris exhibited for the public to enjoy year-round, and it is at Musée Marmottan Monet. Located away from the heart of Paris and nestled in the quiet arrondissement that is the 16e, to visit this museum is a breath of fresh air compared to the hustle and large expanse of many of the other museums, or the crush of people at the Musée L’Orangerie (which is worth tolerating to view with your own eyes Monet’s Waterlilies – read and view that post here).
I had intended to visit this museum during my trip in 2022, but time escaped me; so during my trip this past March, it was first on my list to visit, and what a memorable experience. Below I have both photos and a detailed video collage of my visit. You will first see all of the photos of the paintings and their details, so that when you watch the video, you can just take in the paintings as they are displayed in Monet’s permanent exhibit, referring back to the photos if need be.
The museum acquired all of these paintings of Monet’s, which were in the family collection at the time, following the death of his second son Michel. Below shares all of the details about the bequest.
However, I would be remiss not to share that if you too are an Impressionist fan, you will be delighted to know that many of Berthe Morisot’s paintings are exhibited here at Marmottan permanently as well. Let’s take a look at those first. You may remember back in 2019, the first ever spotlight exhibit of Morisot’s work took place at the Musée d’Orsay.
You can view and read that TSLL tour here.
Let’s first take a look at the room dedicated entirely to Berthe Morisot.
The museum was originally a home, which is why this museum is located in a residential part of the 16th arrondissement. Now, as a museum, the entire basement is where Monet’s works are exhibited, Morisot’s are on display in a large, long room on the 2nd floor (what the French would call the first floor), and on the first floor you will find various works of art, furniture, sculpture and the souvenir shop. Let’s begin with Morisot’s room.
Berthe Morisot
Claude Monet
Now to the video, but first, this portion of the museum while it contains the most original Monet paintings, more than any other location, its intimacy is what makes it special. You will begin the video by walking down the stairs from the main floor, curling your way into the exhibit that extends for three rooms all open and confluencing into one narrow room with bubble side portions. On this particular day, it was in the middle of the week, a school day, and so my company, as you will see and hear, was a young primary class of students. Each were placed into groups of about five or six students paired with a parent or a teacher, and combined with the art we were all gazing at, it magically brought the past to the present. Beauty savored by generations.
The works held in this exhibit were never shown during the artist’s lifetime. “These works were exhibited for the first time when they entered the Museum.”
I hope you enjoy this tour. (I have chosen to present the video with the actual ambiance from the visit to perhaps make you feel as though you are there, wandering through the museum on your own while visiting Paris, as a way to begin the day. ☺️🇫🇷❤️)
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View all of the posts shared during TSLL’s 10th Annual French Week Here
Beauty in word and image. What a visually luxurious way to commence this very special week…I love it all, especially the opening quote coining Impressionism, thank you so much…art is its own mode of travel, perfect for this week!
Thank you Liz 🙂
Shannon, Monet is my favorite impressionist artist. Thank you so much for sharing the tour of the museum.
It is my pleasure! I have been wanting to visit this museum for many years and the wait was worth it. It is special and a gem of a museum that most tourists don’t trek out to the 16th to visit which makes it all the more special. 🙂 THank you for taking the tour!
This is such a wonderful museum! I love the walk through the park to arrive to it as well!
That is so true! Thank you for sharing this detail that adds to the museum’s charm all the more! Tickled to hear you too have enjoyed visiting this special museum while living in Paris Mariana. 🙂 Thank you again for sharing!
Oh Shannon what a way to kick off French week! I finished reading The Lost Masterpiece by B.A. Shapiro (a recommendation from a This & That I believe)just this week making it timely and so special to see the addition of Berthe Morisot. On top of the joy this post brought to my early Sunday morning, it also brought my longing to take a trip to France. It has been over two years since I have been and it is time! I am just thrilled for another French week and will savior every post and video. Thank you!
Rebecca, thank you for sharing that you enjoyed that novel. It looks wonderful and I look forward to reading it soon. Your recommendation has spurred me on to do so sooner rather than later. 🙂 If you haven’t yet read Paris in Ruins, a non-fiction piece of work that shares quite a bit about Berthe Morisot, along with Eduard Manet and how he mentored and influenced her, also how she persisted in her work even through the Terrible Year in Paris, determined to continue to paint even though it was not as a lady was supposed to do, I recommend exploring it.
So tickled you enjoyed this tour. The museum is a treasure tucked away in this quiet neighborhood, making it all the more special. May your trip to France be soon! It sounds like it is calling your name. 🙂
I also finished The Lost Masterpiece this week and did my own deep dive into Morisot’s work so this is quite timely for me as well. I have Paris in Ruins on my library hold list so I look forward to putting it all together. Happy French week!
I will add that to my list! Thank you!
So beautiful. One day I’ll get there… until then I live vicariously through you.
What a gem of a post!!! It really made my Sunday… I do love Impressionist painters and I have recently read a fabulous book called Trois nuits dans la vie de Berthe Morisot by Mika Biermann ( I read the Italian version, there must be an English one too) which is a delightful mix of fictional and biographical elements ( the final result is a vivid portrait of Berthe Morisot). I can’t imagine a better way to start the French Week… thank you Shannon✨
P.s. The name of the author is MIKA not Mike ( autocorrect changed it)
I got ya! I have updated your original comment. 🙂 Thank you SO much for sharing that book with us. The serendipity I will share with you someday, too magical! So tickled you enjoyed this opening post of French Week. I too have a fondness for IMpressionists works and Morisot and Monet especially. 🙂
Bonjour, Shannon.
This is a beautiful start to French week, my favorite week each year! I’m a huge fan of Monet and was lucky enough to see the Monet exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago about 20-25 years ago, which included the water lilies in a round room created just for them.
I’ll be in Paris for a few days in October and will be sure to visit Musée Marmottan and savor the works of Berthe Morisot as well as Monet, thanks for showing us this gem!
I went on my first trip to Paris many years ago. Since Impression Sunrise is my favorite painting, it was like a pilgrimage. Magnificent ♥️♥️♥️
Thank you, Shannon, for sharing the video.
I especially loved that there were children being exposed to such beautiful artwork. Hopefully it will spark a real and lasting love for it.
~Michelle
Thank-you for sharing this, Shannon. I so enjoyed the tour including the sound of the children’s tour with little voices speaking French.
Robin
I loved taking the tour along with the children and what an amazing field trip for them–all that incredible art on their doorstep and to be engaged with it at a young age is, I think, the key to seeing oneself as a citizen of the world and a protector of the arts. Merci bien Shannon, this is such a lovely way to begin our French Week.💕
Thank you for such a great post, Shannon! I love Monet so it was great to see all of the photos. A wonderful way to kick off French week!
What a lovely start to French Week. And I have not been to this museum before, but it is on the list for my next trip to Paris. Thank you, Shannon for introducing me to this very special place.
So beautiful Shannon, Monet is one of my favorite artists – I look forward to someday visiting this museum. The video is a wonderful introduction to French Week. So much to see here – I had no idea that this museum existed. Thank you so much!
Bonjour Shannon! Beautiful post to start French Week 🇫🇷. Monet and Morisot painting are favorites of mine. I was fortunate to catch Bertha Morisot’s exhibit in San Francisco last year and it was stunning. She had a beautiful talent for capturing babies and children. I enjoyed this video tour with the addition of the voices of these sweet children. 🥰
Dear Shannon,
Thank-you for this lovely visual feast for the eyes. I enjoyed the video tour and the young children being immersed in the beauty of art. So very French! I’ve visited Giverny with my husband as well as the L’Orangerie (based on a previous French week post of your’s). We also went the D’Orsay and Louvre in Paris. I just adore art and learning about artists. Now I have a new musee to add to my list of museums to visit!
Merci!
This was a lovely post Shannon. Based on your recommendation this past spring I read The Biography of Claude Monet just before my first trip to Paris for spring break and I am so glad I did. At the time you had also recommended this museum. As we only had 3 days and our itinerary was jam packed I wasn’t able to fit this museum in. We did visit both Musee de l’Orangerie and Musee d’Orsay and we were able to see many of his paintings. I had tears in my eyes as I walked into the room with Monet’s water lilies murals in l’Orangerie. My most fun souvenir is a fabric Monet ornament that I can’t wait to hang on my tree at the holidays. I hope to return to Paris again soon and will definitely visit this museum. I also plan to read The Last Masterpiece which you recently recommended. Thank you as always!
Thank you Shannon! What a lovely first post for French week! Impression, Sunrise is so beautiful. Your video makes me feel as though I was in the museum as well. I love the children learning about these incredible works of art at such a young age.
Gorgeous – appreciate and echo Liz’s comment – in word and image. Thank you for sharing this soul-reaching work – one cannot help but be moved.
I can’t believe French Week is here again!!! Wow, the year flew by. I’ve only visited Paris once. We spent time seeing the works of Monet at Musee D’Orsey, but I was unaware of Musée Marmottan Monet. I’ll add it to my dream list in case we ever return!
Wow, words escape me. Not usually a big fan of Impressionism, this tour and post are enlightening. It just goes to show that most things will touch us if we get close enough with an open mind and heart. I feel that I’ve been there and that will now remain with me, thank you. Impressionism seems to really shine with the subjects of sky and water, all that nuance can be perfectly captured and conveyed.
I loved your observation that past and present were delightfully coexisting, with youthful exuberance on full display, as well as the treasured art. Thank you for including the journalist’s quote, where the term began. I had a snicker at the comparison to wallpaper! 🤭 I can only imagine what went through the minds of those seeing and experiencing it for the first time.
Thank you, Shannon! I will definitely plan to visit this museum the next time i’m in Paris!
Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
Hi Shannon, while in Paris last month, I planned to go to this museum after watching your Cuppa Moments video. My friend, Amy and I really enjoyed visiting The Musée Marmottan Monet after eating a delicious lunch at La Rotonde de la Muette. Thank you for highlighting both this museum and the restaurant! I also took my husband back to this resto and went walking in the Bois de Boulogne when he arrived to Paris 🙂
That is SO awesome to hear! Beyond delighted to be able to share what I love and introduce others to these special places. Isn’t La Rotunde special and yet very ‘local’? I cannot wait to return as well, and so tickled you did! And the museum – so glad you were able to visit. Definitely feels different than many other Parisian museums in a most wonderful way. Ah, and then the walk in the Bois – thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you Shannon❤️ I sure enjoyed taking some quiet time today to view this video! I can always find something to see in Paris and this will be a new experience to add to my list🌻