Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature

The Denver Art Museum is home to the most comprehensive U.S. exhibition of Monet paintings in more than two decades. Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature features more than 120 paintings spanning Monet’s entire career and focuses on the celebrated French Impressionist artist’s enduring relationship with nature and his response to the varied and distinct places in which he worked.

Monet traveled more extensively than any other Impressionist artist in search of new motifs. His journeys to varied places including the rugged Normandy coast, the sunny Mediterranean, London, the Netherlands, and Norway inspired artworks that will be featured in the presentation. This exhibition uncovers Monet’s continuous dialogue with nature and its places through a thematic and chronological arrangement, from the first examples of artworks still indebted to the landscape tradition to the revolutionary compositions and series of his late years.

Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature explores Monet’s continuous interest in capturing the quickly changing atmospheres, the reflective qualities of water, and the effects of light, aspects that increasingly led him to work on multiple canvases at once. Additionally, the exhibition examines the critical shift in Monet’s painting when he began to focus on series of the same subject, including artworks from his series of Haystacks, Poplars, Waterloo Bridge, and Waterlilies.

Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature also delves into the artist’s increasing abandonment of any human presence in the landscapes he created, a testimony to his commitment to isolate himself in nature. This creative process simultaneously established an intimacy with his subject, which culminated later in Giverny, where he created his own motif through meticulous planning, planting, and nurturing of his flowers and plants, which he then translated onto the canvas.

This exhibition is organized and curated by Angelica Daneo, the DAM’s Chief Curator and curator of European art before 1900, Christoph Heinrich, Frederick and Jan Mayer Director of the DAM, and Museum Barberini Director Ortrud Westheider. Major lenders include the Musée d'Orsay, Paris; Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Art Institute of Chicago; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. A catalog accompanying the exhibition, and published by Prestel Publishing, includes essays by renowned scholars, including Marianne Mathieu, James Rubin, George T.M. Shackelford, Richard Thomson, and Paul Hayes Tucker, among others. The publication is available in The Shop at the Denver Art Museum and through the online shop. Co-organized by the DAM and the Museum Barberini in Potsdam, Germany, Denver is the sole U.S. venue for this presentation.

Claude Monet, *Waterlilies and Japanese Bridge,* 1899. Oil on canvas; 35-5/8 x 35-5/16 in (90.5 x 89.7 cm). Princeton University Art Museum: From the Collection of William Church Osborn, Class of 1883, trustee of Princeton University (1914-1951), president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1941-1947); given by his family, y1972-15. Photo Credit: Princeton University Art Museum/Art Resource, NY.

Claude Monet, *Boulevard des Capucines*, 1873-1874. Oil paint on canvas; 31-5/8 x 23-3/4 in. (80.3 x 60.3 cm). The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Purchase: the Kenneth A. and Helen F. Spencer Foundation Acquisition Fund, F72-35. Photo courtesy Nelson-Atkins Media Services / Jamison Miller.

Claude Monet, *The Parc Monceau*, 1878. Oil on canvas; 28-5/8 x 21-3/8 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ittleson Jr. Purchase Fund, 1959, 59.142. Image courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art under CC0 Public Domain Designation.

Claude Monet, *Fishing Boats,* 1883. Oil on canvas; 25-3/4 x 36-1/2 in (65.4 x 92.7 cm). Denver Art Museum: Frederic C. Hamilton Collection, bequeathed to the Denver Art Museum, 37.2017.

Claude Monet, *Path in the Wheat Fields at Pourville*, 1882. Oil on canvas; 23 x 30-1/2 in (58.4 x 77.5 cm). Denver Art Museum: Frederic C. Hamilton Collection, 2016.365.

Claude Monet, *The Canoe on the Epte*, about 1890. Oil on canvas; 52-1/2 x 57-1/2 in (133.5 x 146 cm). Collection Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand: Purchase, 1953. Inv. MASP.00092. Photo by Eduardo Ortega.

Gallery view of *Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature.* Photo by James Florio.

Plan Your Visit

ACCESS

The DAM strives to be accessible to everyone. Wheelchairs and strollers are welcome in the museum and galleries, and may be borrowed at the front desk. Scooters and motorized wheelchairs also are permitted, as are canes and walkers that convert to stools. You may also use the museum-provided gallery stools (available at the exhibition entry).

Large-print exhibition text is available in the exhibition.

AUDIO GUIDES

There are different versions of the Monet audio guide for adults and families, both available in English and Spanish. Audio guides are included with the price of the ticket.

Please keep the volume on your audio guide at a reasonable level.
All hand-held audio devices come with a headset. We also have induction loops available for visitors with hearing aids.
You also may opt to use your own earbuds plugged into the hand-held audio device.
Please ask a gallery host if you have any questions about using the audio guide.
Feel free to experiment with either guide or check them both out.

DRESS

The weather in Colorado can change dramatically in a short time. Please dress comfortably and in layers to adapt to the changing weather and the different temperatures in the museum.

FOOD AND DRINK

Please do not have any food or drink in the galleries. The Callahan Café in the Hamilton Shop on level one is a great place to buy and enjoy drinks and snacks. Here is a list of some of the dining options near the museum.

GROUP VISITS

College and adult groups (10 or more people) can receive group-rate admission with advance reservations. Two-week advance reservations required. To make reservations or schedule your group tour today, call 720-913-0088 or email groupsales@denverartmuseum.org.

LOCKERS

For your safety and comfort as well as the protection of the objects, we ask that you store large bags and backpacks (including purses) before you enter gallery spaces. Free lockers are available on the first and lower levels for your convenience (lockers require a quarter, which is returned when you're done).

PARKING

There is a lot of building construction happening in the Golden Triangle neighborhood. Please allow extra time for traffic and parking.

The most convenient place to park is the Cultural Center Complex Garage at 12th Avenue and Broadway. You may be able to pre-purchase your parking permit online and guarantee your parking space in the Cultural Center Complex Garage, even when it’s marked full or closed (quantities are limited). To purchase a one-time use ePermit for the garage, visit CulturalParking.com. (Please note the DAM does not own or operate this garage.)

You also can try SpotHero to reserve parking. To reserve your parking spot, visit the Denver Art Museum SpotHero Parking Page and book a spot with rates up to 50% off drive-up.

New to SpotHero? Click here to download the SpotHero app.

Learn more about public transportation, driving directions, and parking.

PHOTOGRAPHY

We are a photography-friendly museum, and photography without a flash for personal use is permitted. Please do not use tripods, monopods, or similar equipment in the galleries. Use the hashtag #MonetatDAM to see what others are sharing online.

RENOVATION

The Martin Building (formerly known as the North Building) is under renovation.

The Light Show, on levels 3 and 4 of the Hamilton Building, showcases objects from the DAM's collection. Access to the rest of the Hamilton Building is included with your ticket to Monet.

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions, feel free to ask at the museum welcome center on level one, or ask in advance by calling 720-913-0130. Volunteers and staff throughout the museum are also happy to help.

Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature is co-organized by the Denver Art Museum and the Museum Barberini, Potsdam. It is presented with generous support from PNC Bank. Additional funding is provided by Barbara Bridges, Keith and Kathie Finger, Lauren and Geoff Smart, Fine Arts Foundation, the donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign, and the citizens who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine, CBS4, Comcast Spotlight, and The Denver Post.