Musée des Impressionnismes

Musée des Impressionnismes Review

After touring the painterly grounds of Monet's house, you may wish to see some real paintings at the newly reconceived Musée des Impressionnismes (formerly the Musée Américain), farther along the road. Originally endowed by the late Chicago art patrons Daniel and Judith Terra, it featured works by the American Impressionists, including Willard Metcalf, Louis Ritter, Theodore Wendel, and John Leslie Breck, who flocked to Giverny to study at the hand of the master. As of May 2009, the museum has extended its scope with an exciting array of exhibitions that explore the origins, geographical diversity and wide-ranging influences of Impressionism, particularly in view of Giverny and the Seine Valley as essential landmarks in the history of a movement that was a major influence and transition point in 20th-century art. On-site is a restaurant and salon de thé (tearoom) with a fine outdoor terrace, as well as a garden "quoting" some of Monet's plant compositions. Head down the road to visit Giverny's landmark Hôtel Baudy, now a restaurant and once the stomping grounds and watering hole of many of these 19th-century artists.