Musée Marmottan Monet

Overview

Situated in an elegant former hunting lodge in the affluent 16th arrondissement, the Musée Marmottan Monet is a spectacular, deeply intimate gallery. It houses the absolute largest collection of Claude Monet's paintings anywhere in the world.

Highlights

• Impression, Sunrise (1872): The world-famous, hazy masterpiece that single-handedly gave the entire "Impressionist" art movement its name.
• The Lower Gallery: A stunning, custom-built underground space filled with massive, vibrant, and highly abstract late-career Water Lilies from Monet's Giverny garden.
• Berthe Morisot: The museum also boasts the world's finest collection of works by this groundbreaking, leading female Impressionist.

History

Originally the private collection of art historian Paul Marmottan. The museum skyrocketed to global importance in 1966 when Michel Monet (the artist's second son and only heir) bequeathed his father's entire immense personal collection to the museum to prevent it from being broken up.

Visitor Tips

• Crowds: Because it is located away from the city center, it is famously much quieter and more relaxing than the chaotic Musée d'Orsay.
• Logistics: Located near the Ranelagh gardens. Combine a visit here with a walk in the nearby Bois de Boulogne.
• Duration: 1.5–2 hours.