Monet’s Water Lilies at the Musée Marmottan Monet
What the Marmottan holds
In 1966, Michel Monet, the painter's son, bequeathed to the museum all the canvases remaining at Giverny, over a hundred Monets. Among them, the Water Lilies painted from 1897 on the garden pond, at every stage: the earliest, almost descriptive, with the pond's edge and the leaves clearly placed, then those where the water fills the entire canvas, without horizon, with the reflections of the willows and the sky. Then the large formats of the later years, when Monet painted with cataracts and the colors shifted to red and orange. The museum is the only one to possess the final Japanese Bridge and The House Seen from the Rose Garden, created by a nearly blind man. These paintings are nowhere else.
The underground room
The 1966 bequest posed a practical problem: Paul Marmottan's townhouse had no wall large enough. The museum dug beneath the building and opened in 1970 the room where the late large formats were displayed for the first time. It is understated, and that is its strength: nothing distracts. You sit, step back, return. On weekdays at opening or Thursday evenings, you’re often alone there, something I’ve never experienced in front of the Orangerie’s panels.
Marmottan or Orangerie: two Water Lilies
The question comes up with every visit, so here’s the clear answer. The Orangerie, at Place de la Concorde, displays the eight panels Monet gifted to France, installed in two oval rooms with natural light: a collection designed for a space, viewed by turning in place. The Marmottan shows the canvases Monet kept in his studio: the studies, variations, attempts, and final works. One is the finished piece, the other is the process. If you can only see one, the comparison will help. If you can do both, visit the Marmottan in the morning and the Orangerie in the afternoon with a timed ticket: take line 9 to Franklin D. Roosevelt, then line 1 to Concorde, 25 to 30 minutes.
And the pond itself
The motif is in Giverny, 75 km west, in Monet's water garden at his home, open from late March to November 1st. The originals aren't there: in Giverny, you see the pond, while at the Marmottan, you see what Monet made of it. The Marmottan + Giverny day trip combines both—paintings in the morning, the pond in the afternoon.
What works
- The Water Lilies from the studio, at every stage, including the final ones
- A quiet room where you can sit without waiting your turn
- Impression, soleil levant in the same room, to gauge the journey
- No reservations, no time slots
Good to know
- These aren’t the eight panels from the Orangerie
- A basement room, with no view of the garden
- The large late formats confuse those expecting pink water lilies
- Closed Mondays
Look at the final Japanese Bridge paintings after the early Water Lilies, not before. In this order, the red of the last canvases reads as the continuation of a life, not an accident. The route that allows this order is on what to see at the Marmottan.
Book the Orangerie for the afternoon
The ticket below is for the Orangerie, with a time slot. Book it for 2 pm or 3 pm if you're visiting the Marmottan in the morning.
Frequently asked questions
Are the large Water Lilies panels at the Marmottan?
No. The eight monumental panels are at the Orangerie, in two oval rooms. The Marmottan has the studio canvases, including the last ones. Compare on Marmottan or Orangerie.
When are the Water Lilies at the Marmottan from?
From 1897 to 1919 for the Water Lilies, and until 1924 for the final Japanese Bridges. They come from Michel Monet’s bequest in 1966, detailed in the museum’s history.
Can you see the Water Lilies at the Marmottan and those at the Orangerie on the same day?
Yes, Marmottan in the morning, Orangerie in the afternoon, 25 to 30 minutes by metro between the two. The timed-entry ticket for the Orangerie is on Orangerie ticket.
Where is the Water Lilies pond?
In Giverny, in Monet's water garden at his home, 75 km from Paris, open from late March to November 1st. See Giverny or Marmottan.