Claude Monet Foundation

About

The Fondation Claude Monet is a nonprofit that manages the house and gardens of Claude Monet in Giverny, France, where Monet lives and painted for 43 years. Monet was inspired by his gardens, and spent years transforming them, planting thousands of flowers. He believed that it was important to surround himself with nature and paint outdoors. He created many paintings of his house and gardens, especially of water lilies in the pond, the Japanese bridge, and a weighing willow tree. With a total of 530,000 visitors in 2010, it is the second most visited tourist site in Normandy after the island of Mont Saint-Michel. The house and gardens have been listed among the Maisons des Illustres and classified as a Remarkable Garden. The estate was classified as a historic monument in 1976. Monet's paintings of the gardens, especially the sites' pond with water lilies, are exhibited in dozens of major collections.

History: When the owner of the Villa Saint-Louis in Poissy where Claude Monet had lived since 17 December 1881 threats to take Him to court over unpaid rent, Monet was able to obtain a stay of execution before he would be affected on the 15 April 1883. As a result, Monet began...