New Book on Claude Monet Reveals His Life Through 420 Letters, Including Dispute Over Water Lilies
Thames & Hudson has released a new collection of letters by Claude Monet (1840-1926), titled 'Claude Monet: A Life in Letters', which sheds light on his perspectives regarding fellow artists, family conflicts, and his interactions with the French government concerning the Water Lilies. This volume features approximately 420 letters chosen from a total of over 3,200 documented in Daniel Wildenstein’s catalogue raisonné, along with 393 previously unrecorded letters, categorized into six chronological sections. Significant correspondences highlight Monet’s personal challenges and his efforts to fundraise 20,000 francs for Manet’s 'Olympia'. After World War I, he suggested gifting two Grandes Décorations to France. The final series, comprising eight works across 22 panels, was unveiled at the Orangerie in 1927. The book spans 552 pages and is priced at £30.
Key facts
- The book 'Claude Monet: A Life in Letters' is published by Thames & Hudson, 552pp, £30 (hb).
- It includes around 420 letters to 93 recipients, selected from over 3,200 transcribed letters in Daniel Wildenstein’s catalogue raisonné (1974-91) and 393 unrecorded letters.
- Monet wrote the most letters to his dealer Paul Durand-Ruel and his second wife Alice Hoschedé.
- The book is divided into six date ranges, including 'Years of Struggle' (1873-81) and 'War and Water Lilies' (1915-26).
- In a letter to Théodore Duret on 9 December 1880, Monet said he saw Édouard Manet working on a painting of Henri Rochefort’s escape.
- Monet campaigned to raise 20,000 francs for the French state to acquire Manet’s 'Olympia' from his widow, Suzanne.
- On 12 November 1918, Monet wrote to Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau proposing to donate two Grandes Décorations to the nation.
- The Water Lilies were initially intended for the Hôtel Biron, then briefly the Jeu de Paume, before the Musée de l’Orangerie was agreed upon.
- In a letter on 31 October 1921, Monet refused the Jeu de Paume gallery and accepted the Orangerie only if the Administration of Fine Arts committed to his required building works.
- The plan was formalized in April 1922; Monet worked on the paintings until his death in 1926.
- The final cycle gifted to France consists of eight vast compositions split across 22 panels, displayed at the Orangerie in 1927, where they remain.
Entities
Artists
- Claude Monet
- Édouard Manet
- Auguste Rodin
- Camille Pissarro
- Henri Rochefort
- Teresa Krasny
- Sylvie Patry
- Daniel Wildenstein
- Alice Hoschedé
- Paul Durand-Ruel
- Théodore Duret
- Armand Fallières
- Georges Clemenceau
- Suzanne Manet
Institutions
- Thames & Hudson
- Musée du Louvre
- Musée Rodin
- Musée de l’Orangerie
- Jeu de Paume
- Hôtel Biron
- Académie des Beaux-Arts
- Administration of Fine Arts
- RR Auction
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Paris
- France
- New Caledonia
- Jardin des Tuileries