One hundred years after Claude Monet’s death, Paris is dedicating a significant portion of its fall season to the Impressionist master. Starting September 30, 2026, two exhibitions will open almost simultaneously at the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay. One focuses on how Monet sought to capture the passage of time; the other offers a deeper look behind the scenes of his painting and his working methods.
Two Monet Exhibitions Are Coming to Paris
At the Orangerie, “Monet: Painting Time” will bring together nearly 40 paintings, drawn primarily from the collections of the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée Marmottan Monet. The exhibition traces several of the major series that defined the painter’s career: the Haystacks, the Poplars, the Rouen Cathedrals, and the Mornings on the Seine.
The exhibition naturally leads to the *Water Lilies*, which occupied Monet for more than thirty years. The venue is particularly well-chosen, as the Orangerie houses his immense panels—donated to France after World War I—displayed in two oval rooms designed specifically for them.
A virtual reality experience, “Claude Monet: Along the Water,” also accompanies this season dedicated to the painter. On the other side of the Seine, the Musée d’Orsay offers a more focused approach with “I Spend My Life Painting.” This exhibition, set up in the Impressionist gallery, centers on five paintings that have recently been restored or studied, including *La Pie*.
Two museums, two exhibitions, and a comprehensive opportunity to rediscover the artist on the 100th anniversary of his death on December 5, 1926.
Location: Musée de l’Orangerie, Jardin des Tuileries, 75001 Paris – Musée d’Orsay, Esplanade Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, 75007
Hours: starting September 30, 2026