Musée Marmottan Monet facts for kids
 |
|
 |
|
| Established | 1934 |
|---|---|
| Location | 2, rue Louis Boilly, Paris XVIe |
The Musée Marmottan Monet (which means Marmottan Museum of Monet in English) is a famous art museum in Paris, France. It is especially known for its amazing collection of paintings by the French artist Claude Monet. The museum has more than 300 Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artworks. One of its most famous paintings is Monet's Impression, Sunrise from 1872. The museum became very well-known after Michel Monet, Claude Monet's son, gave his father's paintings to it in 1966.
Contents
Museum History
The building where the museum is now used to be a hunting lodge. It was bought in 1882 by a man named Jules Marmottan. Later, his son, Paul Marmottan, inherited it. Paul loved the time of Napoleon, so he added many paintings, furniture, and bronze statues to his father's collection.
Paul Marmottan decided to give his home and all his art to the Académie des Beaux-Arts. This important French art organization opened the house as the Musée Marmottan in 1934.
A Famous Painting is Stolen
On October 27, 1985, some paintings were stolen from the museum. Five masked people entered the museum and took nine artworks. One of the stolen paintings was Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet. This painting is very important because it gave the Impressionism art movement its name.
Other stolen paintings included more works by Monet, like Camille Monet and Cousin on the Beach at Trouville. Paintings by other famous artists like Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Berthe Morisot were also taken. The stolen artworks were worth a lot of money.
Luckily, the police found the stolen paintings in December 1990. They were found in a small house in Corsica. The paintings were returned to the museum in 1991.
Art Collections
The museum first showed art from the time of the First French Empire. But its collection changed a lot with two big gifts of art.
In 1957, Victorine Donop de Monchy gave the museum many important Impressionist artworks. These paintings belonged to her father, Doctor Georges de Bellio. He was a doctor for famous artists like Monet and Renoir. He also supported the Impressionist movement early on.
Then, in 1966, Michel Monet, Claude Monet's second son, gave his own collection of his father's paintings to the museum. This gift made the Musée Marmottan Monet the home of the world's largest collection of Monet's artworks! In 1985, Nelly Duhem also gave a large collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works to the museum.
Since 1975, the museum has held two special art shows each year. These shows focus on one artist or a special collection. For example, they have had shows about Toulouse-Lautrec and Goya. Monet's later paintings from the museum have also traveled to other museums around the world.
The museum also has artworks by other famous artists. These include Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It also has a collection of beautiful illuminated manuscripts. These are old books with colorful drawings.
Museum Design
Jacque Carlu, who was in charge of the museum, created a special room for the Monet collection. This room is on a lower floor of the museum. It was inspired by the room for Monet's Water Lilies paintings at the Musée de l'Orangerie.
This large, open room lets visitors see Monet's paintings up close and from far away. You can see how his art changed over time. One of the most famous paintings in this room is Monet's Impression, Sunrise. This painting gave the Impressionist art movement its name. It was stolen in 1985 but was found five years later. It came back to the museum in 1991.
Museum Location
The museum is located at 2, rue Louis Boilly in the 16th area of Paris. The closest train station is La Muette, on line 9 of the Paris Métro.
See also
In Spanish: Museo Marmottan Monet para niños
- Fondation Monet in Giverny, Monet's home, studio, and gardens
- List of museums in Paris
- List of single-artist museums
- List of tourist attractions in Paris
