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VERNON GIVERNY ... PASSIONATELY
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Continued from page 1 After this visit - almost a
pilgrimage - why not stroll along the village streets lined with old houses
- lots of which adorned with flowers - and see the places where so many
painters lived ?
Two hundred metres away from Monet's house, on the right hand side, you will see the Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny. This Museum reminds visitors that Giverny has a special place in both French and American art history. In 1890, Monet's fame had spread across the Atlantic and growing numbers of American artists came to stay in the village for weeks, months, years or even for ever, like Theodore Butler who married Monet's step-daughter, Suzanne Hoschedé. These painters sought the presence of the Impressionist master and the glimmering light and misty landscapes of the countryside, made famous in his paintings.
The buildings of the Museum, conceived by cabinet Reichen and Robert, project superintendent of the Grande Halle of the Villette, attempts to respect and emphasize the typical landscape site of the valley of the Seine whose meadows, orchards, terraces, hedges are the large components. The collections and the exposures are renewed each year and even several times in the season, so that, as often as come a visitor, there is something to discover again.
Exposures in 2010 Impressionism with the wire of the Seine - of April 1 to July 18, 2010. Maximilien Luce - of July 28 to October 31, 2010.
Founded by Daniel J. Terra in 1992, the Musée d’Art Américain Giverny created a series of unprecedented programs during the sixteen years of its existence – outstanding exhibitions, publications, colloquia, conferences, and residencies for artists and art historians that all focused on American art. In order to further develop its activities outside the United States, the Terra Foundation for American Art will open a Center in Paris in 2009. The Center will provide access to resources on American art, with a specialized library, and will play the role of initiator and facilitator for projects concerning historic American art (from the Colonial Period to the 1980s). The Paris Center will also develop cultural projects (exhibitions, colloquia and public programs, academic research and teaching) with European cultural institutions through grants or partnerships. At the same time, the Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny will open in May 2009 under the aegis of the Conseil Général de l’Eure, de la Seine Maritime, and of the region Haute New exhibitions are presented every year and even several times in the same year so that, no matter how often a visitor may come, he or she has always something new to discover. The museum also proposes various activities ( lectures on art, detailed study of some of the paintings, visits of Le Hameau gardens, etc…) Even if you do not wish to visit this museum (it would be a pity not to, first because the exhibits are most interesting but also because the visit of this museum and of Monet’s garden are complementary) you are advised to enter its garden through the first gate and walk to the other end, parallel to the village street (free admission). It is a modern garden, quite different from Monet's but it will certainly delight you. Designed by garden designer Mark Rudkin, the The whole garden is divided into little squares surrounded by hedges composed of beech trees and thujas. Each square has a single dominant colour: after the white garden, with water gurgling down a pond, there follows a square for herbs, another full of roses; a blue square and a pink one lead the visitors to the western part of the garden where wild flowers and plants are an introduction to a larger meadow sown with poppies.
Another almost legendary place is the former Hotel Baudy. Discovered in 1886 (or 1885) by the American painter Willard Metcalf, Mrs Baudy's small café became famous thanks to the numerous artists, among who were Cézanne and Rodin, coming to Giverny in search of inspiration.
Hôtel Baudy is not a museum but a coffee-shop and restaurant and, in order to visit the garden, you may be asked to have a drink. But one or two euros for a coffee and a visit is really very cheap to be able to walk in the garden with winding alleys lined with many different kinds of flowers that take visitors up to the top of the hill. And the innumerable varieties of old roses, bending under their own weight will suggest the charm of bygonegardens and the nostalgia of the " Belle Époque " in the 1900's).
Do take advantage of your stay here to have a look at the galleries of today's artists who work in Giverny, Patrick Hans, Claude Cambour, Christophe Demarez, Gale Benett, Jacqueline Gougis and many others. Like Monet, they enjoy a kind of microclimate with so specific a light that the Master said: "I am delighted, Giverny is a splendid place." A splendid place, indeed!
Parking Two mandatory but free car parks are located on each side of the main road. (An underground passage allows pedestrians to cross safely.) Where to start the visit Whether they arrive by car, bus, bike or on foot, visitors are advised to proceed to the Tourist Information Desk named here 'Point Info' (usually open from 9h30 onward) located in the centre of the car park for cars (N°5) where they can find all the information they require. Then walk up to the end of the car park, to a gate leading into the street (rue Claude Monet). From there, Monet's house and gardens are about 200 m on the right and the Musée des Impressionismes is in front, across the road. In the same street , but on the left, the former Hotel Baudy is about 200 m away and the church another 200m farther. Once you have finished visiting, walk back to the Musée des Impressionismes, opposite which is the gate you came through when you arrived, giving access to the car park(s). Claude Monet Foundation 84, rue Claude Monet - 27620 - Giverny - ÿ http://www.fondation-monet.com/ Open every day from April 1 to October 31 from 10h to 18h. (No tickets are sold after 17h30) Inside the gardens, access to the water garden is through an underground passage located, at the far end of the garden away from the house, on the right. Musée des Impressionismes 99, rue Claude Monet - 27620 Giverny, France - ÿ http://www.museedesimpressionnismesgiverny.com/ Horaires July 14th – November 1st : open every day, except Mondays (10h - 18h). Tickets : Former Hotel Baudy
Other pages in English about Monet and Giverny : The making of Monet's garden : how Monet designed his garden over the years Did you know there were other " Givernys " in the world ? To end your visit to Giverny : a nice walk in the hills above the village
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