Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum (SSM) has already brought works by numerous world-famous artists to Turkey, and now exhibits spectacular paintings by the famous French artist Claude Monet, in cooperation with the Marmottan Monet Museum. Entitled Monet’s Garden, the exhibition will be held between 9 October 2012 and 6 January 2013. Sabancı Holding is the exhibition's main sponsor, with Le Méridien Istanbul Etiler as sponsor for accommodation, and support from Vista Tourism. Flowers and nature are the themes selected for this exhibition of works by Monet, who declared, "I perhaps owe having become an artist to flowers." Attention will focus on the Giverny Garden, the garden which Monet created with his own hands and was his greatest inspiration during the last years of his life. 

The exhibition consists of works from the late period of the artist who gave the impressionist movement its name; including pictures of Claude Monet’s house in the Giverny Garden, garden scenes, water lilies and his famous Japanese bridge paintings. In addition signed portraits of Monet and his wife Camille by Auguste Renoir, personal possessions and photographs will be exhibited. The exhibition gives insight into Monet's innovative approaches during an artistic career that stretched into the first quarter of the 20th century, and his rejection of tradition that inspired young artists in the 1940s and 50s. 

SSM Director Dr. Nazan Ölçer said “SSM celebrates its 10th year. We started this year with Rembrandt and His Contemporaries and we are proud to finish it with Monet, who was the forerunner and leader of the impressionist movement. We bring you 39 of his works from his late period. We display paintings that were neither exhibited nor sold during Monet’s lifetime and that certainly adds more significance to the exhibition. We invite all art lovers to our museum.”

Marianne Mathieu, the curator of Marmottan Monet Museum added “In 1966 Claude Monet’s son Michel Monet donated the collection of his father, which was kept in his house in Giverny, to the Musée Marmottan, located in a private house in the 16th residential area of Paris.&nbsp; The Musée Marmottan Monet, became the museum that contained the biggest Monet collection in the world, housing almost 100 paintings, as well as photographs and sketch books. The exhibition held at the SSM hosts almost half of this collection with most important paintings. The exhibition portrays, on one hand, Monet in his private surroundings, highlighting his family, and on the other hand focuses, on the immediate surrounding of his water garden in Giverny, where he spent half of his life.”

Sabancı Holding CEO Zafer Kurtul stated that they are delighted to present Monet’s paintings and added that “It is important for Sabancı Holding to add value to social and cultural fields as well as economy. We regard art projects as a fundamental responsibility since the foundation of our company. We worked to shape Turkish cultural life. Today, we are excited to bring together Monet, the creator of impressionism with the Turkish public. It is an honour to be a part of this exhibition, made possible by the great efforts of Sakıp Sabancı Museum.”

Monet’s Garden exhibition is open daily till 8.00 PM, except for Mondays.

Exhibition: Monet's Garden

The highly anticipated exhibition, “Monet’s Garden”, is open to visitors.

08 October 2012