Boulevard des Capucines

1873 or 1874

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

In late 1873 or early 1874, Monet painted this view from the very rooms that he knew would be used for the first Impressionist exhibition the following spring. He also painted a horizontal version of the scene (Pushkin Museum, Moscow), which is the one he eventually exhibited. The response of the critic Ernest Chesneau applies to both works equally: "At a distance, one hails a masterpiece in this stream of life. . . . But come closer, and it all vanishes. There remains only an indecipherable chaos of palette scrapings. Obviously, this is not the last word in art, nor even of this art. It is necessary to go on and transform the sketch into a finished work. But what a bugle call for those who listen carefully, how it resounds far into the future!"

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

Title: Boulevard des Capucines
Artist: Claude Monet (French, Paris 1840–1926 Giverny)
Date: 1873 or 1874
Geography: Country of Origin France
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 31 5/8 × 23 3/4 in. (80.3 × 60.3 cm)
Framed: 43 3/8 in. × 36 1/4 in. × 4 in. (110.2 × 92.1 × 10.2 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, Purchase, The Kenneth A. and Helen F. Spencer Foundation Acquisition Fund
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art