Musée Marmottan Monet facts for kids
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| Established | 1934 |
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| Location | 2, rue Louis Boilly, Paris XVIe |
The Musée Marmottan Monet is an art museum in Paris, France. It is famous for its large collection of paintings by the artist Claude Monet. The museum has over 300 Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artworks. One of its most famous paintings is Monet's Impression, Sunrise from 1872. This painting actually gave the Impressionist art movement its name!
The museum became very well-known because of a special gift in 1966. Michel Monet, who was Claude Monet's second son and only heir, donated his father's amazing collection to the museum.
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Museum History
The building where the museum is located was once a hunting lodge. It was bought in 1882 by Jules Marmottan. Later, his son, Paul Marmottan, inherited it. Paul Marmottan loved the Napoleonic era (the time of Napoleon Bonaparte). He added many paintings, furniture, and bronze items to his father's collection.
Paul Marmottan decided to give his home and his entire collection to the Académie des Beaux-Arts (Academy of Fine Arts). The Académie then opened the house as the Musée Marmottan in 1934.
A Noteworthy Event: The 1985 Theft
On October 27, 1985, a group of thieves broke into the museum and stole nine valuable paintings. Among the stolen artworks was Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet. This painting is incredibly important because it gave the Impressionism art movement its name.
Other stolen paintings by Monet included Camille Monet and Cousin on the Beach at Trouville and Field of Tulips in Holland. Paintings by other famous artists like Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Berthe Morisot were also taken. The stolen paintings were worth a lot of money.
Thanks to a helpful tip, police were able to find the stolen paintings. They were recovered in a small villa in Corsica in December 1990. The paintings were returned to the museum's permanent collection in 1991.
Art Collections
The museum's collection changed a lot over time. At first, it mainly showed art from the First French Empire. But then, two big donations made it famous for Impressionist art.
In 1957, Victorine Donop de Monchy gave the museum a large collection of Impressionist works. These paintings had belonged to her father, Doctor Georges de Bellio. He was a doctor to many Impressionist painters and supported their new style of art.
Then, in 1966, Claude Monet's son, Michel Monet, donated his own collection of his father's work. This made the Musée Marmottan Monet the home of the world's largest collection of Monet paintings! In 1985, Nelly Duhem also donated a big collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works, including more Monets.
Since 1975, the museum has held two special exhibitions each year. These shows focus on a single artist or a specific collection. For example, they have featured artists like Toulouse-Lautrec, Goya, and Pissarro. Some of Monet's later paintings from the museum were shown in museums in the United States in the 1990s.
The museum also has artworks by other famous artists. These include Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro, Paul Gauguin, Paul Signac, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It also holds a collection of beautiful illuminated manuscripts and Paul Marmottan's collection of Napoleonic art.
Museum Design
Jacque Carlu, who was the museum's curator at the time, designed a special area for the Monet collection. This space is on a lower level of the museum. It was inspired by the room designed for Monet's Water Lilies murals at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris.
This large, open room lets visitors see how Monet's art changed over time. You can also view his paintings both up close and from a distance. As mentioned before, Impression, Sunrise is a key painting here. It was stolen in 1985 but returned in 1991 and is now back on display.
Museum Location
The museum is located at 2, rue Louis Boilly in the 16th area of Paris. The closest subway station is La Muette, which is on line 9 of the Paris Métro.
See also
In Spanish: Museo Marmottan Monet para niños
- Fondation Monet in Giverny, Monet's home and gardens
- List of museums in Paris
- List of single-artist museums
- List of tourist attractions in Paris
