Monet's House: An Impressionistic Interior (Hardcover)

~ Heidi Michels (Author), Guy Bouchet (Photographer) "Crossing the threshold from the veranda, most visitors would have received their first impression of Monet's unique decorative scheme in this relatively understated entrance at..." (more)
Key Phrases: studio drawing room, blue salon, second studio, Grande Allée, Grandes Décorations, Octave Mirbeau

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Not only was Claude Monet (1840-1926) a leading member of the impressionist movement, he was also, as this charming book reveals, a master interior decorator. A virtual room-by-room guided tour of Monet's beautiful and much-visited home at Giverny, this volume offers a vivid impression of daily life in the beloved house where the artist lived for 40 years with his second wife and their eight children. With its pink stucco walls, green shutters, and brightly painted original furniture, the house reveals Monet's brilliance and innovation as a colorist, which transcended his light-infused canvases to inform his choice of hues for wall paint and furniture. Each room is explored in its own chapter with glorious color photos: the dining room, painted in two shades of yellow and adorned with Japanese prints; the blue-and-white-tiled kitchen; the blue drawing room; the studio as it appeared in its heyday. Enlarged paint swatches of Monet's unique color combinations accompany each chapter so that readers can reproduce them in their own homes.

Product Description

It is a summer's day in the late 1890s and Monet's house at Giverny is in its heyday. Outside, the pink stucco walls are punctuated by brilliant green shutters, and a new green balcony spans the length of the house. Inside, light streams through open windows, illuminating the vibrant, innovative colors Monet chose to color his rooms.

Here is a guided tour of the house where Monet lived for forty years with the woman who would become his second wife, Alice Hoschedé, and their eight children. The original furniture, much of it painted in vivid hues, is here as well as appointments--china, linen, and small antique collectibles--authentic to what is known of Monet's lifestyle and the period.

Here is the famous dining room painted in two shades of yellow, embellished with Japanese prints and blue-and-white china. Here is the kitchen with its blue- and-white Rouen tiles and copper pots, the fabled studio where Monet not only painted but entertained his family and friends, the blue drawing room where the family gathered for games, the bedrooms and dressing rooms with their simple and elegant appointments, the foyers, the épicerie, even the cellar where wine and provisions were stored. Paint dabs showing the colors used in major rooms allow the reader to duplicate them in their own homes.

Heide Michels opens a door onto Monet's private world, giving us a vivid impression of the family's day-to-day routine, including family activities and mealtime rituals. She describes Monet's love of the good life; good food, good wine, and the company of stimulating friends, among them Monet's fellow painters, Renoir and Caillebotte, and a circle of writers and critics.

Monet's House reveals the artist as a master decorator as innovative in his choice of wall and furniture colors as he was in his canvases. It also captures a vivid picture of domestic life as it was lived by one of the world's greatest Impressionist painters.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter (September 8, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517706679
• ISBN-13: 978-0517706671
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 10 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #869,555 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A visual treat for the eye created by Impressionist Monet., July 30, 1999

By A Customer

The impressionist master,Monet's home represents a palette of vibrant color harmonies, and light fused into a radiant home of personal warmth and beauty. A perfect setting for the lush gardens flourishing outside. A full view of the rooms, that made Monet's house truly an artists abode with its elegant, yet simple furnishings.

5.0 out of 5 stars Monet's House makes me want to go back and see the house again, September 28, 2009

By	Deanna F. Pierpont - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Monet's House: An Impressionist Interior (Paperback)

I have toured Monet's home and garden two different times and wanted to read a book that told about the different things that made the home special. This book did that and even makes me want to go back and tour the home again now that I know how much input Monet had in the decorating of the home.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars books about Monet, January 10, 2009

By	Clara P. Farrell "eclara" (Fresno CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Lovely book It is an inspiration. The seller was a dear. I made a typo on my address and it went back to the seller. She contacted me immediatly by e-mail and re shippped it to me. I offered to pay for my error but the seller would not take a penny. I am very happy with this purchase.