Arts / Museums

Monet’s Final Chapter Reaches Fort Worth for One of Only Two U.S. Stops

It's Going to be a Blockbuster Summer

BY // 06.13.19

It’s been more than two decades since a major museum has focused on Impressionist master Claude Monet’s final chapter of painting. The Kimbell Museum of Art pays homage to this period through its new exhibition, “Monet: The Late Years,” which opens this Sunday.

Showcased through 60 paintings, brought together from collections spanning the globe, the exhibition examines Monet’s signature style from 1913 to the bolder, more abstract works he created until his death in 1926. Rest assured, the grouping will include more than 20 of his adored water-lily paintings. But, prepare to perhaps be surprised by some relatively unknown sprawling panoramic canvases alongside intimate works straight from the artist’s easel.

The exhibition — curated by Kimbell deputy director George T.M. Shackelford and co-organized by its only two venues, the Kimbell and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco — follows upon Shackelford’s critically acclaimed show “Monet: The Early Years,” presented in 2016-2017 at both museums.

“The last dozen years of Monet’s life were a challenging time for the painter, who contended with personal loss and the afflictions of old age in his 70s and 80s,” says  Shackelford. “But they were also among the most triumphant of his long career — because, in his mid-70s, Monet decided to reinvent himself, mining his past, yet creating works that looked like nothing he had ever done before.”

Monet’s “Japanese Footbridge,” 1899
Monet’s “Japanese Footbridge,” 1899

“Building on the strong history of partnership between our institutions, “Monet: The Late Years” was inspired by seminal paintings by Monet in the collections of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Kimbell Art Museum,” Eric M. Lee, director of the Kimbell, and Melissa Buron, director of the art division at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco said in a joint statement. “Together, we are delighted to reveal a newly considered Monet in this thrilling exploration of his last works.”

With the mention of Monet so come the crowds. This will likely be a summer blockbuster for the Kimbell, so be sure to plan your excursion to Fort Worth well beyond the closing weeks of the exhibition when lines will undoubtedly be forming around the iconic Renzo Piano and Louis Kahn buildings.

Monet: The Late Years” runs June 16 through September 15 at the Kimbell Museum of Art, kimbellart.org

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