Floral Paintings Through the Centuries

Flowers have been an inspiration to artists for centuries and we’ll explore changes in style from the Dutch artists of the 17th century through the sunflowers of Van Gogh and the calicos of Georgia O’Keeffe.


Claude Monet and His Gardens at Giverny

For more than 30 years, Monet cultivated his gardens at Giverny which served as his artistic inspiration. From water lilies to his Japanese bridge, paintings from his gardens became icons of Impressionism.

Claude Monet, The Japanese Bridge, 1899, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Gift of Victoria Nebeker Coberly, in memory of her son John W. Mudd, and Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg, 1992

Claude Monet, The Japanese Bridge, 1899, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Gift of Victoria Nebeker Coberly, in memory of her son John W. Mudd, and Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg, 1992

Floral Inspirations of the Impressionists

The late 19h-century artists such as Manet, Degas, Monet, Renoir, Cassatt, Morisot, and Van Gogh were all inspired by floral displays, as illustrated in their impressionistic still-life paintings.

American Landscapes Through the Ages

Landscape painting was the first uniquely American art beginning with the Hudson River School artists such as Cole and Kensett.  Explore the Luminist paintings of Heade and Lane reflecting the coast of New England. The landscapes of Homer and Bellows illustrate the expressiveness of the late 19th and 20th centuries.

Margareta Haverman, A Vase of Flowers, 1716, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Museum Purchase, 1871

Floral Paintings of Women Artists Through the Centuries

Explore the floral paintings of women artists since the 17th century, including Rachel Ruysch, Maria Sibylla Merian, Mary Moser, Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, and Georgia O’Keeffe.

French Impressionism

Explore the late 19th-century world of impressionist artists such as Monet, Renoir, Degas, Pissarro, and Cassatt who set the foundation for the work of Cezanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin.

Theodore Robinson, The Valley of the Seine, from the Hills of Giverny, 1892, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase, Gallery Fund), 2014

Theodore Robinson, The Valley of the Seine, from the Hills of Giverny, 1892, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase, Gallery Fund), 2014


We enjoyed most your depth of knowledge and enthusiasm about your subject.


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