Few artists – aside from William Turner – have strived as much as Claude Monet (1840–1926) to capture light on canvas. Of all the Impressionists, he was the artist about whom Cézanne once said, “Only one eye, but – my God – what an eye!” Monet always adhered to the principle of absolute fidelity to visual sensation and painted directly from the subject.

One could say that Monet rediscovered the possibilities of color. His life's work fundamentally changed our perception of the world and its phenomena – whether through his early interest in Japanese woodcuts, his experiences as a recruit in the harsh light of Algeria, or his personal acquaintance with the most significant painters of the late 19th century. Monet reached the peak of his explorations with the late Water Lilies series, which he painted in his garden in Giverny and which, in its pursuit of almost complete formlessness, represents the origin of abstract art.

This biography honors a remarkable and highly influential artist and offers numerous reproductions, archival photos, and detailed texts about his life and work.