Reflections of a collection

A collection expanded by art donations

Since it was founded in 2009, Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny has sought to introduce as many people as possible to Impressionism. Its exhibitions explain its origins, offshoots and its impact on modern and contemporary art. It also cultivates a collection focused on Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and its legacy, which benefits from the generosity of major donors. 

Some of the people who have helped to expand the museum’s collection include Claire Denis, granddaughter of the Les Nabis painter Maurice Denis, the photographer Henri Foucault, the Japanese painter Hiramatsu Reiji, Charlotte Hellman, great-granddaughter of the pointillist artist Paul Signac, and even Mr. and Mrs. Quentin, the descendants of the painter Jean Francis Auburtin. In ten years, it has been able to acquire 148 works of art, excluding long-term loans: paintings, drawings and photographs, as well as 28 signed letters.

Long-term loans to supplement the collection

Alongside numerous donations, we have long-term loans of artwork from Philippe Piguet, great-grandson of Claude Monet, the photographer Bernard Plossu, the Rouen Normandy Regional Contemporary Art Fund, the Claude Monet Foundation collection and the village of Giverny. The museum’s collection currently contains 211 pieces, plus significant archives.

A proactive acquisition policy

Using its own funds, the museum has also acquired a selection of works: a drawing by Pierre Bonnard, Claude Monet and Marthe Bonnard in the dining room at Giverny (c. 1920), a painting by Maurice Denis, Sunlight on the River (c. 1932), 32 pieces by Hiramatsu Reiji and photographs by Olivier Mériel and Bernard Plossu. In 2019, a painting by Édouard Dantan, Boat at Villerville, Low Tide (1881) was purchased from a Paris gallery, strengthening the link between Impressionist Normandy and the museum. The museum’s latest purchase in March 2020 – a painting by Eugène Boudin, Deauville, the basin – reinforces the links between Monet and the man who inspired him to take up plein air painting.

Thriving crowdfunding campaigns

The museum launched its first crowdfunding campaign in 2016. Thanks to a large number of donors, the museum was able to acquire an important collection of decorative panels by Gustave Caillebotte, Bed of Daisies (c. 1893). Buoyed by this success, the museum turned to the public again in 2019. This new campaign involved 331 people, allowing it to acquire an important painting by Pierre Bonnard, The Seine at Vernon (1915), and returning it to Giverny, just 4 km from where it was painted in the artist’s garden.

Through 80 works of art, Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny introduces its visitors to a diverse collection which has continued to grow over 11 years, notably thanks to the generosity of the public and its patrons. And it should continue to grow in the future.

The exhibition is part of the 2020 Normandy Impressionist Festival.