Impressionism, a historical reconstruction:

Claude Monet

(1840-1926)

Extended trips

 

Intro:
On this page you will find an overview of the extended trips that Claude Monet made.
There are references to the overview of the  Catalogue Raisonné by Wildenstein (1996=R22; iR3+iR182).
Sometimes during an extended trip Monet made a serie of paintings. In that case, the most information you will find on the page on the series Monet made. Often Monet went alone, sometimes his family joined.
Note: additional info and pictures will be added.

 

1870/71, London:
After his marriage in Trouville Claude Monet flew with Camille to London, due to the French-Prussian war.
Monet painted the following works in London: CR163-169 (iR3+iR182).

 

1871, Zaandam:
After his stay in London Claude Monet went to Zaandam in Holland.
Monet painted the following works in Zaandam: CR170-192 and also CR138+138a (iR3+iR182).

 

1874, Amsterdam:
In 1874 Claude Monet returned to Holland. This time he went to the capital Amsterdam.
Monet painted the following works in Amsterdam: CR298-309 (iR3+iR182).

Montgeron:
In 1876 Claude Monet was invited to stay at the Château de Rottembourg, the estate of Alice and Ernest Hoschedé in Montgeron.
Monet would spent a long period here, at least from September up to November (R22I,p123-125).
Monet made in commission four decorative panels (R22,CR416+418+420+433), partly exhibited at the 3rd ‘impressionist’ exposition (3IE-1877-101 + 112). He made more works in this period: of the garden and the pond (CR417 +419); of Germaine (CR434). And also of the surroudings: of the surroundings woods where hunts took place (CR431-433), of the railroad track (CR421), of the river Yerres (CR423-425) and of a house in Yerres (CR422). Probably Monet did meet Gustvave Caillebotte, who lived (namely the summers) nearby in Yerres (a 3,5km walk; iR9). Somewhere during that autumn Monet stayed with his family and made some pictures in the surroundings of Argenteuil (CR426-430).
See also the page on Ernest Hoschedé.
Monet painted the following works in Montgeron and its surroundings: CR416-425 + 430-434 (iR3+iR182).

1881, Fécamp and surroundings:
In the Spring of 1881 Claude Monet stayed in Fécamp and nearby Grainval and Les Petites-Dalles.
Monet painted the following works in Fécamp and nearby Grainval and Les Petites-Dalles: CR644-665b (iR3+iR182).
Note: September 1880 Monet stayed a short time in Les Petites-Dalles, see CR621-624 (iR3+iR182).
Note: August 1884 Monet also stayed a short time in Les Petites-Dalles, where his brother Léon used to take his holidays (R22,CR903-906)

1882, Pourville and surroundings:
In 1882 Claude Monet spent a long time in Dieppe, Pourville and Varengeville, along the Normandy coast.
Monet started this period with a week in Dieppe (CR706) and then he stayed two months in Pourville (5km south-west) (CR709). Monet depicted the cliffs and sea towards Dieppe, towards Le Petit Ailly (with the customs officers cottage; CR730) and more south to Varengeville (with it’s church and the Gorge des Moutiers; CR725).
Mid-June he returned to Pourville with his family and stayed at the villa Juliette (R22,CR751). Monet again painted also in the surroundings.
Monet painted the following works in Dieppe, Pourville and Varengeville: CR706-746 + 751-808 (iR3+iR182).

1883, Étretat:
1883/01/31 onwards Claude Monet painted in Étretat.
Monet painted the following works in Étretat: CR816-833 (iR3+iR182).
Note: 1884/08 he would shortly return (R22,CR907+908).

1884, Bordighéra and surroundings:
Claude Monet stayed from mid-January until the 6th of April in Bordighera (CR852+889). Bordighera lies in Italy, just across the French border. Monet also painted in the surroundings, like Vintimiglia, the valley of the Nervia, Dolceacqua (CR878-885). Monet also made a portrait (CR886) and probably two still lifes (CR887+888).
Earlier in December Monet had made a trip with Renoir along the Côte d’Azur, namely near Monte-Carlo (CR850+851). In February (CR891b) and/or after the 6th of April (CR889) Monet also made some paintings just across the border in Menton, cap Martin, Monaco and Monte-Carlo (CR889-897).
Monet painted the following works in Bordighera and surroundings: CR852-897 (iR3+iR182).

 

1885, Étretat:
Claude Monet stayed again in Étretat from late September 1885 until mid-December (R22,CR1009).
He would return for a short period the second half of February 1886.
Monet painted the following works in Étretat: CR1009-1053 (iR3+iR182/III).

 

1886, Holland:
Late April till early May 1886 Claude Monet spent some time in The Hague and nearby Sassenheim and depicted the tulip fields.
Monet painted the following works in Holland: CR1067-1071 (iR3+iR182/III).

 

1886, Belle-Île-en-Mer:
From the 15th of September 1886 until the 25th of November Claude Monet stayed in the hamlet Kervilahouen at Belle-Île-en-Mer. Here he depicted the Needles (Pyramids) and the Rocher du Lion of Port-Coton and the Port-Goulphar, Domois. (R22,CR1084) He did meet Gustave Geffroy here, his later biographer. Geffroy kept a diary that was publised as ‘Pays d’Ouest’ (Paris, 1897). (R22,CR1085).
Monet painted the following works in Belle-Île: CR1084-1122 (iR3+iR182/III).
Several of them had been shown at Georges Petit in 1887 and also at the large exhibition ‘Monet-Rodin’ at Georges Petit in 1889 (R22IV,p1017).

 

1888, Antibes:
Claude Monet stayed in Antibes from mid January 1888 until early May. He stayed in the Château de la Pinède. (R22,CR1158) In his paintings he depicted the Bastion Saint-André, the Château Grimaldi, the Salis Gardens, the bay and in the distance the Alps between France and Italy. He also depicted the surroundings, like Juan-les-Pins.
Monet painted the following works in Antibes: CR1084-1193 (R22; iR3+iR182/III).
Many of these paintings were shown at the large exhibition ‘Monet-Rodin’ at Georges Petit in 1889.
10 of them had been shown at Boussod, Valadon et Cie in 1888. (R22IV,p1017)

 

1889, Fresselines:
Claude Monet stayed between March and May 1889 in Fresselines, near the junction of the Creuse river and La Petite Creuse. He also depicted nearby La Roche-Blond and the bridge near the Vervy mill.
Monet painted the following works in Fresselines: CR1218-1240 (R22; iR3+iR182/III).
Many of these paintings were shown at the large exhibition ‘Monet-Rodin’ at Georges Petit in 1889 (R22IV,p1017).

 

1892 +1893, Rouen cathedral:
Claude Monet made a serie of the Rouen cathedral early 1892 +early 1893, see series.

 

1895, Norway:
Claude Monet stayed in Norway 1895/02/01 onwards. All the paintings he made depicted snow. He stayed in Björnegaard, near Sandviken, west of Oslo (then Christiania). Monet also depicted the fjord near Oslo and the Mount Kolsaas. Several of the paintings of Mount Kolsaas can be seen as a small serie, namely those explicitly depicting atmospherical influences (CR1409-1417). Monet also made several (drawing) sketches, now in the Marmottan (M2).
Monet painted the following works in Norway: CR1393-1418 (R22III;
Several of these paintings were exhibited at Durend-Ruel in May 1895 (R22IV,p1017).

 

1896 +1897, Pourville and surroundings:
Claude Monet again stayed in Pourville from mid-Februar 1896 until early April. Monet often depicted the cliffs and the sea. He also depicted the surroundings (towards the South-West) like Varengeville, the Mordal cleft, the Gorge du Petit Ailly, the Pointe de l’Ailly (near Vastérival). And also the surroundings towards Dieppe (in the North-East). (CR1421)
Monet would return in 1897. He then also depicted the former coastguard house at Petit Ailly (CR1448-1458).
Monet painted the following works in Pourville: CR1421-1434 + 1440-1471 (R22III;
Many of these paintings were exhibited at the Georges Petit gallery in 1898 (R22IV,p1018).

1899-1901, London:
In the early autumn of 1899 and in the early months of 1900 and 1901 Claude Monet stayed in London and made several series.

 

1901, Lavacourt and Vétheuil:
In the summer of 1901 Claude Monet rented a room with a balcony in Lavacourt. Until somewhere in the autumn he painted his old dwelling place Vétheuil. He did so as a short serie, see link.

 

1908, Venice:
Claude Monet made a trip to Venice from late September until early December 1908.
Monet first stayed at the Palazzo Barbaro (iR486) and later on (since the 14th of October) at the former Grand Hotel Britannia (iR9;see), now St. Regis (iR9; see). Both at the northern bank of the Grand Canal. I will render a geographical order of the motives he depicted referring to openstreetmap (iR486) and Google maps (iR9). Several of these motives can be seen as small series.
Monet depicted the Palazzo Contarini Dal Zaffo Polignac (iR486; iR9) from the Palazzo Barbaro on the opposite north bank of the Grand Canal. (CR1766 +1767)
Monet depicted the Palazzo da Mula Morosini (iR486) just east of the Palazzo Contarini. (CR1764+1765)
Monet painted the Palazzo Ca’ Dario (iR9), a little more east of the Palazzo da Mula. (CR1757-1760)
Monet painted the Grand Canal looking east with Palazzo Dario and the Santa Maria della Salute church. He did so from the steps of the Palazzo Barbaro (CR1736-1741).
Monet also depicted the  from the opposite bank the Palazzo Dario (CR1757-1760).
Monet depicted the red house on the Fondamenta Bragadin (iR9), probably sitting in a gondola on the Rio di San Vio looking north towards the Grand Canal. (CR1771)
Monet depicted the Rio della Salute (iR9), probably from a gondola just south of the Ponte della Salute (iR486) depicting the chevet of the church of San Gregorio in the distance. Opposite this church lies the Santa Maria della Salute church. (CR1761-1763)
Monet painted, further to the east on the north bank of the Grand Canal, the Palazzo Ducale (iR9). He did so sitting in a gondola with the Ponte della Paglia to the right. (CR1742-1744) Monet also painted the Palazzo Ducale from the opposite island La Giudecca standing on the square of the basilica San Giorgio Maggiore. A well loved standing point for painters, including Renoir in 1881. (CR1751-1756) Monet also depicted the Palazzo Ducale from probably the north-east part of the island La Giudecca. Maybe from the gangway connecting the lighthouses. (iR9) (CR1770)
From the Britannia Monet painted the basilica San Giorgio Maggiore on the opposite island La Giudecca (iR9). (CR1745-1750) He did so again probably standing in the neighbourhood of the Ponte de la Veneta Marina (iR486) looking looking to the south-west and also depicting more vaguely to the right the Santa Maria della Salute. (CR1768 +1769)
Just before his leave 1908/12/03 made a sketch of a gondola, which he left unfinished. (CR1772)

Monet wrote just a few (formal) letters from this trip. More is known by the letters his second wife Alice wrote to her daughter Germaine.
She wrote ‘Every day we sit from 8 till 10 for the first motive; … another motive from 10 till 12. From 2 till 4 on the Canal; from 4 till 6 from our window’ (of the Britannia) (R23,p149). She also wrote ‘Monet is a man of extremes… When he can’t find his motives again, he becomes furious. … attacks of intense excitement or despair… Monet is unsatisfied about himself, about his work…’ (R23,p153)
Early December Monet wrote to Geoffroy that he hoped to come back next year to paint this unique light. ‘I haven’t done anything than some studies, some beginnings.’ (R23,p155)
On their way back they visited Bordighera (iR486; see his trip made in 1884↑) and Cagnes (iR486), where they met Alice her daughter Germaine and where Monet would meet Renoir for the last time.
Monet didn’t went back and would finish his paintings (in his studio in Giverny) in 1912 after Alice had died 1911/05/19. Still, most works are dated 1908.
In 1912 an exhibition was held at the Bernheim-Jeune gallery called ‘Venise’ depicting 29 paintings. It was open for just 12 days.
Sources: R22IV,p806+1021; R22,CR1736-1772; R23,p140-155; R464,p16; iR486; iR9;

 

 

Sources:
My main source is the Catalogue Raisonné of Wildenstein (1996=R22=iR182). See for more sources the main page on Claude Monet. See at the bottom of this page at the additional references aR5-aR11 for links to online publications (iR182 +iR19). See also the list of all paintings on the English WikiPedia page (iR3).
For other general references (=R) see. For other references to internet sites (=iR) see. For other additional references (=aR) see below. See links for practical hints and abbreviations and for the subscription of the paintings.

For further reading:
x

Additional references (=aRx):

1. Travelfrance.tips/etretat (this tourist site renders info and many pictures on the works Monet made in Etretat; =iR422)
2. x

 

Recommanded citation: “Impressionism: Claude Monet, extended trips; a chronological overview. Last modified 2026/05/31. https://www.impressionism.nl/monet-extended-trips/”

 

Note: additional info and pictures will follow.