From Giverny to Singapore: Monet’s water lilies bloom at Gardens by the Bay

GIVERNY, France - French Impressionist painter Claude Monet’s home in Giverny, France, is surrounded by lush gardens, vibrant flower beds and a tranquil pond filled with water lilies.

From July 12 to Sept 17, visitors to the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay will be able to get an idea of how these picturesque surroundings inspired many of the artist’s most renowned paintings.

The new Impressions Of Monet exhibit transforms the dome into a re-creation of the house and gardens where Monet lived and worked.

The gardens in Giverny still stand today as one of the top tourist attractions in Normandy in north-western France, drawing about half a million visitors annually. 

The exhibit features not only stunning floral displays, but also reproductions of some of Monet’s most celebrated paintings, including pieces from his Water Lilies series.

A multi-sensory experience featuring digital projections, interactive displays and audio-visual elements awaits visitors in the space adjoining the Flower Dome.

The first-of-its-kind exhibition – showcasing not just flowers, but also dynamic displays of light, colour, sound and fragrance – aims to bring Monet’s art to life.

Impressions Of

Monet

boasts about 18,000 plants of 40 varieties, such as hydrangeas, cleomes, delphiniums, digitalis, geraniums, hollyhocks and sunflowers.

In May, The Straits Times joined Mr Mihkaail Ng, deputy director of conservatory operations at Gardens by the Bay, on a trip to France.

On the trip hosted by Gardens by the Bay and supported by official airline partner Turkish Airlines, Mr Ng shared insights into finding inspiration through visits to museums, Monet’s house and gardens in Giverny, and the Latour-Marliac nursery, where the artist purchased his water lilies.

Mr Ng explained that the Singapore exhibit draws deep inspiration from Monet, a leading figure of the Impressionist movement known for painting natural landscapes and scenes.

What set Monet apart from other artists was his dedication to curating his own garden to create scenes for his paintings, noted Mr Ng.

Monet experimented with different flowers, textures and plant varieties to transform his garden into a living canvas that he could translate onto his physical canvases, said Mr Ng.

Initially, Monet planted a flower garden at his home, and later purchased a nearby plot of land to create a Japanese-inspired water garden, where he planted water lilies, added Mr Ng.

Recognising the integral role of the water lilies in Monet’s art and garden, Mr Ng and his team sought to bring this essence to Singapore. They tracked down the exact water lily varieties Monet had purchased in the late 1800s.

Remarkably, the same nursery that supplied Monet is still in operation, and has continued to grow these varieties for over a century.

Over the past year, Mr Ng and his team worked closely with the management of Monet’s gardens in Giverny to understand what plants were planted and to source for them.

To fully represent what people see in Monet’s garden in Giverny, the team had to “capture the essence” of the place.

“We also wanted to capture certain aspects such as important rooms in his house, which gave him so much inspiration. Essentially what we want to tell is the story of how this man lived his life,” said Mr Ng.

“We know Monet from his canvas art pieces, but he has often said his greatest masterpiece is his garden. And that’s exactly what we want people to feel when they come to see our display. We want them to be transported essentially into a living painting or a series of living paintings, depending on where they are in the garden.”

To offer visitors an immersive experience into Monet’s daily life and artistic surroundings, Mr Ng and his team have also created replicas of key rooms in Monet’s house.

“You will be able to enter a few of the rooms that were in his house, you will also be able to see the iconic green Japanese bridge that he had, which was featured in many of the paintings,” said Mr Ng.

“You will be able to see the same water lilies that have been growing in Monet’s garden for more than 100 years.

“Visitors will also get to see his garden ‘paintbox’, an area in front of his house where he grew many combinations of plants which inspired many of his paintings.”

Singapore residents will enjoy free entry to Impressions Of Monet: The Experience from Mondays to Thursdays, with a valid Flower Dome ticket purchase.