The Blanche Hoschedé-Monet Museum in Vernon, Eure, has recently acquired and put on display a new painting by the artist whose name it bears. Museum Director Nicolas Bondenet and Deputy Mayor Nicole Balmary, who oversees culture and heritage, are delighted to present to the public a work by Blanche Hoschedé-Monet that recently arrived in Normandy.
The painting, titled "Rose Garden Path," was created in 1927 in Giverny and is now gracing the museum's walls. As Bondenet explained, "One of the missions of France's 1,200 museums, of which the Vernon museum is a part, is to promote the restoration, conservation, and dissemination of artworks. This painting was in the reserves of the Musée des Augustins in Toulouse, a museum currently undergoing renovations. We have it on loan for a renewable three-year period."
This oil on canvas depicts the iconic motif of Claude Monet's garden – specifically the rose garden path where countless visitors stop to take photographs. The painting captures the plant-adorned arches and, in the background, the two large yew trees that frame the entrance stairway to the house. The work represents one of the most recognizable and beloved features of the famous Giverny estate.
Blanche Hoschedé-Monet (1865-1947) was the daughter of a collector and patron of Claude Monet, living from her earliest years surrounded by artists. The Museum of Impressionism in Giverny possesses the only known sketchbook of her drawings, dating from 1884. She frequented Claude Monet's studio and eventually became his assistant and student, learning directly from the master impressionist.
After the death of her husband, Jean Monet, in 1914, Blanche went to live in Giverny with her father-in-law, Claude Monet. During this period, she had to set aside her passion for painting to take care of the household's domestic affairs, continuing in this role until the master's death in 1926. This sacrifice of her artistic pursuits for family responsibilities was a common experience for many women artists of the era.
Following Claude Monet's death, a kind of painting frenzy took hold of Blanche. During this period, she painted numerous works depicting the garden, the water lily pond, and the house at Giverny, as if driven by a desire to fill the void left by Monet's passing and to transmit this artistic heritage to future generations. Her prolific output during these years represents some of her most significant contributions to Impressionist art.
During the upcoming Heritage Days (Journées du Patrimoine), which now also celebrate women's contributions (matrimoine), the work of women artists will be highlighted through special guided tours. Two visits are scheduled: one on Saturday, September 20 at 11 a.m., and another on Sunday, September 21 at 3 p.m. These tours are free but require advance reservation, which can be made at museevernon27.fr or by calling 02 32 64 79 05.
