Monet’s Bedroom
by Ariane ~ September 19, 2009
A detail strikes the visitors who enter Monet’s bedroom at Giverny: the bed is ridiculously small.
Claude Monet wasn’t very tall, and he didn’t share his bed with his wife. They had separate bedrooms. Not because they didn’t care, but rich families copied the aristocracy and had separate ‘appartements’, though they were connected.
Monet could get up very early without waking his wife. He loved to paint before sunrise, when the river is still covered with mist.
The bed and the armoire, which were not very expensive furniture, were painted according to Monet’s taste.
Monet had gorgeous views over his garden from his bedroom’s three windows. The painter designed his bedroom, he had it built just over the first studio. He wanted a lot of light in it.
The bedroom was the place where he hung his collection of impressionist paintings by his friends, an incredible collection of 35 canvases including 12 paintings by Cézanne, many Renoirs, Sysleys, Morisots, Manets and so on.
The desk is a beautiful antique from the 18th century.
July 12th, 2013 at 9:21 am
In 2010 I saw a lovely garden painting (print) on the wall opposite the far window (in Monet’s bedroom). Was it painted by Theodore Butler? Merci for your reply.
May 14th, 2015 at 6:36 pm
Who is the artist of the paintings of 2 young ladies , one in a hat and one in a blue dress posed with a dog, hanging behind the door in Monets bedroom?
May 18th, 2015 at 4:22 am
The artist is Berthe Morisot, a woman that belonged to the first group of impressionist painters. She was friend with Monet who admired her work a lot.
April 27th, 2020 at 12:11 pm
I would love to know more about the floral painting above the headboard of the bed. It is gorgeous.
April 28th, 2020 at 7:38 am
It is a picture that was presented to Monet by his friend Gustave Caillebotte.
Caillebotte painted these white and yellow chrysanthemums in his garden of Petit-Gennevilliers in 1893.
The painting now belongs to the collections of Musee Marmottan-Monet in Paris. A copy hangs in Monet’s bedroom at Giverny.
June 18th, 2021 at 12:16 am
Hi Ariane, I’m wondering, are the bed and armoire the same shade of yellow as the dining room? I’m currently trying to find a paint color similar to the yellow in Monet’s dining room. It is difficult, though, to find a color that is simultaneously as light and bright as his. Thank you for the beautiful images and information!
June 19th, 2021 at 4:12 am
Laurence, in Monet’s dining room the furniture and the walls are painted the same two colors, pale chrome yellow and bright chrome yellow for the mouldings.
In the bedroom, the color is ivory.
Good luck with your works!