Monet’s House and Gardens
Claude Monet’s house and gardens, including the water lily pond he painted for decades.
Claude Monet rented this pink-walled Normandy farmhouse in 1883 and later bought it, living and painting here until his death in 1926. Around it he created two famous gardens: the Clos Normand, a densely planted flower garden in front of the house, and a water garden across the road, dug out from 1893, with its lily pond, weeping willows and green Japanese-style bridge.
After decades of neglect the estate was left to the Académie des beaux-arts, and a major restoration led by Gérald Van der Kemp, largely funded by American donors, allowed it to open to the public in 1980 as the Fondation Claude Monet. Visitors walk through Monet's colourful rooms, hung with his collection of Japanese prints, and through gardens replanted to match the scenes of his paintings. It is one of the most visited sites in Normandy.
Highlights
- The water lily pond and Japanese bridge
- The Clos Normand flower garden
- Monet's yellow dining room and blue kitchen
- His collection of Japanese woodblock prints
