THE MARVELOUS MONET MASTERPIECES AT CENTROCENTRO

Billboard advertising the Monet exhibition

by Rose Maramba

The CentroCentro exhibition is culled from the Musée Marmottan Monet (see photo)

Ongoing at CentroCentro till 25 February 2024 is the first major exhibition in Spain of the works of French painter Claude Monet (Paris, 14 November 1840 – Giverny, 5 December 1926), the Father of Impressionism and Modernism’s key precursor. The anthological exhibition comprises more than fifty of Monet’s masterpieces so selected not only to take the viewer across his long and prolific career but also to enable the viewer to catch an intimate sight of the Impressionist’s sentiments; the masterpieces were closest to the painter’s heart to the extent that he kept them with him in Giverny till his death. To view the CentroCentro exhibition is to “see” Monet up close.

Monet, right, in 1900 in Giverny, at the water lily pond in his garden, with family relations Germanine Hoschedé and Lili Butler, and Mme Joseph Durand-Ruel, wife of Paris art dealer Joseph,  and Georges Durand-Ruel, Joseph’s brother, also an art dealer

The canvases are culled from the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, home to the world’s largest collection of Monet’s works, not least the iconic Impression, Sunrise, the painting that gave the Impressionists their name.

Nymphéas, of the Water Lilies scenes

True to his eminent position as the Father of Impressionism, a defining earmark of Monet’s genius is his view of Nature as constantly changing and painted it thus. He would record a particular scene several times, on different canvases, reflecting the changes that the scene had undergone. One might say he was a “serial” painter.

The Train in the Snow, Monet,1875

He was particularly interested in scenes from the French countryside, especially plein air (outdoor) landscapes, such as the landscapes in Argenteuil, a suburb of Paris (The Train in the Snow, 1875, depicts a snow-covered Argenteuil train station), and the famous large format Water Lilies (1917-1920) both of which are part of the CentroCentro exhibition). Of course, he painted foreign scenes too. Among the paintings in the CentroCentro exhibition is the Parliament. Reflections on the Thames (1905). And portraits, such as Portrait of Michel Monet Wearing a Hat with a Pompon (1880) in the CentroCentro exhibition.

Monet painted foreign scenes too. The series of joyful Tulip Fields in Holland is quite popular, splashing beautiful and vibrant floral landscape on canvas

Early 1900s photo. Impressionism is a response to the stark “realness” of photographs.

Impressionism is about the expression of the Impressionists’ perceptions of their subject. They had no use for accurate representations, as the photographer has with his photographs. In fact, Impressionism is a reaction against the realness of photography which was gaining popularity in the late 19th century. In so doing, the Impressionists offered the viewer a fresh and original vision.

Monet’s palette displayed in the Musée Marmottan Monet

Organized by CentroCentro and Arthemisia in collaboration with the Musée Marmottan Monet, the exhibition is curated by Sylvie Carlier, curator of the Musée Marmottan Monet, and co-curated by the art historian, Marianne Mathieu, and Aurélie Gavoille, assistant curator at the Musée Marmottan Monet.

You can’t give the exhibition a miss, can you now?

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Info and reservation: info@monetmadrid.com. Tel. 676 876 631
CentroCentro comprehensive programming
How to get there:
Metro: Banco de España station. Cercanias: Recoletos. Buses: 1, 2, 202, 5, 9, 10, 14, 15, 20, 27, 34, 37, 45, 51, 52, 53, 74, 146, 150, 203, Línea Expres Aeropuerto.
Parking: C/ Montalbán,1.
Bike parking: C/ Montalbán 1

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Images
> Featured image/©Rose Maramba
> Musée Marmottan Monet/Ministerio da Cultura-Fernando Peruzzo, CC BY2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
> Monet and others at the water lili pond. Author: Joseph Durand-Ruel, PD in France, Spain and USA via Wikimedia Commons
> Nymphéas/Monet. Source: Musée Marmottan Monet, PD in France, Spain, USA and other countries, via Wikimedia Commons
> Photo, early 1900s. Source: Unknown women by Wakefield, High St, Ealing. Author: Whatsthatpicture (whatsthatpicture.com) via  Wikimedia commons, CC BY2.0
> The Train in the Snow, Monet, from the Musée Marmottan Monet, PD in France, Spain, USA and other countries. via Wikimedia Commons
> Tulip Fields in Holland. Source/Photograph: The Yorck Project 2002 -Meisterwerke der Malerei – DVD distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. Wikimedia Commons PD
> Monet’s palette/ Never covered, CC BY-SA4.0, CC BY-SA4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
> Announcement with speaker vector/GraphicMama-team, pixabay