Press Releases
Monet — The Gardening Artist
Date:
2005-04-2123 April 2005
Claude Monet (1840-1926) one of the leading members of the Impressionist group, had a keen interest in gardening, as his later works clearly show. His garden at Giverny has long been admired by art lovers and gardeners alike, and works such as his delicate paintings of the Waterlilies became some of the most famous paintings in the world.
Having bought his Giverny home in 1890, he purchased a nearby lake in 1893 to create a water garden. He spent the rest of his life here, and from 1899 became entranced by the lake, the bridge and the waterlilies growing on the water. Three of the works from Monet's second series of Waterlily paintings are displayed in Cardiff's National Museum & Gallery, forming one of the centrepieces of the impressive Gwendoline and Margaret Davies collection, one of the best collections of Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings outside London.
The National Museum & Gallery celebrates Monet, the Gardening Artist, at a special evening event on Saturday 23 April, at 6.30 pm. Dr Ann Sumner, Curator Fine Art and Christopher Taylor, Garden Conservator at the Museum of Welsh Life, outline the life and work of Claude Monet, and also share the gardening secrets behind creating a Monet-style waterlily pond in your back garden.
Whether you're interested in gardening or in art, this special event is a relaxing way to spend a Saturday evening. The event is free, but tickets must be booked in advance by ringing 029 2057 3466.
Entry to the Museum is free, thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government
-Ends-
Notes to Editors
- Ann Sumner is the author of Colour and Light, the first book on the Impressionist collection in Cardiff to be published for twenty years, which will be published at the Hay Festival at the beginning of June. Visitors will be able to pre-order their copies of the book at Saturday's event.
- This event is organised to coincide with Transformation and Influence, an exhibition examines major Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works from the Welsh and Scottish national art collections. It concentrates on the patrons who brought together these paintings and sculptures eventually bequeathing them to the two institutions, the impact this had on the existing collections and the lasting influence of such generosity on subsequent artists. This exhibition runs at the National Museum & Gallery until 26 June.
- The National Museum & Gallery is one of the National Museums & Galleries of Wales' six sites across Wales. The other sites are Big Pit: National Mining Museum - a finalist in this year's prestigious Gulbenkian Prize, the National Woollen Museum, Dre fach, Felindre, Museum of Welsh Life, St Fagans, Roman Legionary Museum, Caerleon and the Welsh Slate Museum, Llanberis. The National Waterfront Museum, Swansea, telling the story of industry and innovation in Wales opens its doors in autumn 2005.
- For more information on this press release, please contact Gwenllïan Carr, Head of Press and Public Relations, NMGW, 029 2057 3175