Branch of the Seine near Giverny (Mist)

CC0 Public Domain Designation

1897

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926)

This placid landscape is the result of an energetic creative process. For months Claude Monet rose before dawn to travel by rowboat to the same location on the river Seine, where he painted 14 canvases simultaneously, reworking them as the light shifted. Although this painting appears hazy and vague, Monet made deliberate technical decisions—for instance, blurring a once-distinct horizon line with vigorously blended brushstrokes that grow looser as they radiate outward. Monet custom-ordered the nearly square canvas, an unusual shape that contributes to the disorienting nature of the scene, half of which represents a reflection on the water. By diffusing the landscape through these techniques, Monet attempted to capture the transience of light and mist, a theme he pursued throughout his career.

Status: On View, Gallery 243
Department: Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist: Claude Monet
Title: Branch of the Seine near Giverny (Mist)
Place: France (Artist's nationality:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1897
Medium: Oil on canvas
Inscriptions: Inscribed lower left: Claude Monet 97
Dimensions: 89.9 × 92.7 cm (35 3/8 × 36 1/2 in.); Framed: 112.4 × 115.6 × 11.5 cm (44 1/4 × 45 1/2 × 4 1/2 in.)
Credit Line: Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection
Reference Number: 1933.1156
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/16564/manifest.json

Durand-Ruel Galleries, New York, Paintings by Claude Monet, exh. cat. (Durand-Ruel, 1916), cat. 10.
Art Institute of Chicago, A Guide to the Paintings in the Permanent Collection (Art Institute of Chicago, 1925), p. 162, cat. 2138.
M. C., “Monets in the Art Institute,” Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago 19, 2 (Feb. 1925), p. 20.
Toledo (Ohio) Museum of Art, Paintings by French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, exh. cat. (Toledo Museum of Art, 1937), cat. 15.
Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, Valuable Paintings by Modern French and Barbizon Artists and Renaissance Master, Property of a Mid-Western Educational Institution, pt. 2, sale cat. (Parke-Bernet Galleries, May 4, 1944), p. 34, lot 47.
“News Notes,” Magazine of Art, Akron (Ohio) Art Institute Edition (Nov. 1946), p. iii.
Oscar Reuterswärd, Monet: En konstnärshistorik (Bonniers, 1948), p. 283.
Art Institute of Chicago, “Homage to Claude Monet,” Art Institute of Chicago Quarterly 51, 2 (Apr. 1, 1957), p. 24.
Art Institute of Chicago, “Catalogue,” Art Institute of Chicago Quarterly 51, 2 (Apr. 1, 1957), p. 33.
Art Institute of Chicago, Paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago: A Catalogue of the Picture Collection (Art Institute of Chicago, 1961), p. 321.
Grace Seiberling, “The Evolution of an Impressionist,” in Paintings by Monet, ed. Susan Wise, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago, 1975), p. 37.
Susan Wise, ed., Paintings by Monet, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago, 1975), p. 156, cat. 99 (ill.).
Grace Seiberling, “Monet’s Series” (Ph.D. diss., Yale University, 1976), pp. 189; 335, n. 1.
Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 3, Peintures, 1887–1898 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1979), pp. 210; 211, cat. 1475 (ill.).
Charles F. Stuckey, ed., Monet: A Retrospective (Hugh Lauter Levin, 1985), p. 183 (ill.).
Grace Seiberling, Monet in London, exh. cat. (High Museum of Art/University of Washington Press, 1988), p. 14, fig. 9.
Richard Kendall, ed., Monet by Himself: Paintings, Drawings, Pastels, Letters, trans. Bridget Strevens Romer (Macdonald Orbis, 1989), pp. 221 (ill.), 320.
Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, exh. cat. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Yale University Press, 1989), pp. 219; 220, pl. 82; 223; 299, cat. 78.
Martha Kapos, ed., The Impressionists: A Retrospective (Hugh Lauter Levin/Macmillan, 1991), p. 31 (ill.).
Martha Kapos, ed., The Post-Impressionists: A Retrospective (Hugh Lauter Levin/Macmillan, 1993), p. 41, pl. 9.
Natasha Staller, “Babel: Hermetic Languages, Universal Languages and Anti-Languages in Fin de Siècle Parisian Culture,” Art Bulletin 76, 2 (June 1994), p. 338, fig. 8.
Andrew Forge, Monet, Artists in Focus (Art Institute of Chicago, 1995), pp. 53–55; 94, pl. 23; 108.
Charles F. Stuckey, with the assistance of Sophia Shaw, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/Thames & Hudson, 1995), pp. 129, cat. 108 (ill.); 230; 247.
Paul Hayes Tucker, Claude Monet: Life and Art (Yale University Press, 1995), pp. 158; 162, pl. 185.
Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 3, Nos. 969–1595 (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), pp. 613, cat. 1475 (ill.); 614.
Simonella Condemi and Andrew Forge, Claude Monet: La poesia della luce; Sette capolavori dell’Art Institute di Chicago a Palazzo Pitti, exh. cat. (Giunti, 1999), pp. 42 (detail), 43 (ill.).
Art Institute of Chicago, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in the Art Institute of Chicago, selected by James N. Wood (Art Institute of Chicago/Hudson Hills, 2000), p. 153 (ill.).
Charles Stuckey, “Monet e la Senna,” in Monet: I luoghi della pittura, ed. Marco Goldin, exh. cat. (Linea d’Ombra, 2001), p. 63 (ill.).
Dario Gamboni, Potential Images: Ambiguity and Indeterminacy in Modern Art (Reaktion, 2002), pp. 109; 111, ill. 81; 113; 170; 297.
Christoph Becker, “Monet’s Garten,” in Monet’s Garten, ed. Christoph Becker, exh. cat. (Kunsthaus Zürich/Hatje Cantz, 2004), pp. 60; 62, cat. 34 (ill.). Translated by Fiona Elliot as “Monet’s Garden,” in Monet’s Garden, ed. Christoph Becker, exh. cat. (Kunsthaus Zürich/Hatje Cantz, 2004), pp. 60; 62, cat. 34 (ill.).
Christopher Butler, Pleasure and the Arts: Enjoying Literature, Painting, and Music (Oxford University Press, 2004), pp. 94; pl. 5; 232.
Nicolas de Warren, “Ad Infinitum: Boredom and the Play of Imagination,” in Infinite Possibilities: Serial Imagery in 20th-Century Drawings, exh. cat. (Davis Museum and Cultural Center/University of Washington Press, 2004), p. 11, fig. 6.
Marco Goldin, ed., Monet, la Senna, le ninfee: Il grande fiume e il nuovo secolo, exh. cat. (Linea d’Ombra, 2004), pp. 118–19 (ill.).
Gloria Groom and Douglas Druick, with the assistance of Dorota Chudzicka and Jill Shaw, The Impressionists: Master Paintings from the Art Institute of Chicago, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/Kimbell Art Museum, 2008), pp. 160–61, cat. 81 (ill.); 163; 167. Simultaneously published as Gloria Groom and Douglas Druick, with the assistance of Dorota Chudzicka and Jill Shaw, The Age of Impressionism at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago/Yale University Press, 2008), pp. 160–61, cat. 81 (ill.); 163; 167.
Pascal Bonafoux, Monet, peintre de l’eau (Chêne/Hachette, 2010), pp. 136 (ill.), 174.
“Cat. 36: Branch of the Seine near Giverny (Mist), from the series ‘Mornings on the Seine,’ 1897” in Monet Paintings and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago, ed. Gloria Groom and Jill Shaw (Art Institute of Chicago, 2014), https://publications.artic.edu/monet/reader/paintingsanddrawings/section/135470.
Helga Kessler Aurisch and Tanya Paul, Monet and the Seine: Impressions of a River, exh. cat. (Houston: Museum of Fine Arts, 2014), 42, 45, 140-141 cat. 44, 144.
Gloria Groom, et. al. Monet and Chicago, exh. Cat. (Chicago: Art Institute, 2020), 109 cat. 66, 139.
Markus Fellinger, Edwin Becker, Lisa Smit, Renske Suijver, eds., Klimt. Inspired by Van Gogh, Rodin, Matisse, exh. cat. (Munich: Hirmer Verlag Gmbh, 2022), 77, 78 cat. 57, 235.
Andrè Dombrowski, Monet’s Minutes: Impressionism and the Industrialization of Time (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2023), 167, 169 fig. 102.

Paris, Galerie George Petit, Exposition Claude Monet, June–July 1898.
New York, Durand-Ruel, Paintings by Claude Monet, Dec. 9–23, 1916, cat. 10, as Matinée sur la Seine.
Toledo (Ohio) Museum of Art, Paintings by French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, Nov. 7–Dec. 12, 1937, cat. 15 (ill.).
Akron (Ohio) Art Institute, Oct. 18, 1946–Nov. 10, 1947, no cat.
Boston, Mass., Richard C. Morrison, Nov. 19, 1948–Dec. 26, 1950, no cat.
Art Institute of Chicago, The Paintings of Claude Monet, Apr. 1–June 15, 1957, no cat. no.
Art Institute of Chicago, The Artist Looks at the Landscape, June 22–Aug. 25, 1974, no cat.
Art Institute of Chicago, Paintings by Monet, Mar. 15–May 11, 1975, cat. 99 (ill.).
Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Monet in the ’90s: The Series Paintings, February 7–April 29, 1990, cat. 78 (ill.); Art Institute of Chicago, May 19–August 12, 1990; London, Royal Academy of Arts, September 7–December 9, 1990 [Boston and Chicago only].
Art Institute of Chicago, Claude Monet, 1840–1926, July 22–Nov. 26, 1995, cat. 108 (ill.).
Florence, Sala Bianca di Palazzo Pitti, Claude Monet: La poesia della luce; Sette capolavori dell’Art Institute di Chicago a Palazzo Pitti, June 2–Aug. 29, 1999, no cat. no. (ill.).
Zurich, Kunsthaus Zürich, Monet’s Garten, Oct. 29, 2004–Mar. 13, 2005, cat. 34 (ill.).
Fort Worth, Tex., Kimbell Art Museum, The Impressionists: Master Paintings from the Art Institute of Chicago, June 29–Nov. 2, 2008, cat. 81 (ill.).
Tulsa, OK, Philbrook Museum of Art, Monet and the Seine: Impressions of a River, June 29-September 21, 2014; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, October 26, 2014-February 1, 2015, cat. 44 (ill.).
Art Institute of Chicago, Monet and Chicago, September 5, 2020-June 14, 2021, cat. 66.
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Golden Boy Gustave Klimt. Inspired by Van Gogh, Rodin, Matisse…, Oct. 7, 2022-Jan. 8, 2023, cat. 57; Vienna, Osterreichische Galerie, Klimt. Inspired by Van Gogh, Rodin, Matisse…, Feb. 3-May 29, 2023.

Jos Hessel, Paris, by Oct. 26, 1916 [this and the following per Durand-Ruel, Paris, stock book for 1913–21 (no. 10908, as Matinée sur la Seine, 1897), as confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file; Wildenstein 1996 states this painting was sold by the artist to Durand-Ruel in 1913, which is not mentioned in the Durand-Ruel Archives]; sold to Durand-Ruel, Paris, Oct. 26, 1916, for 20,000 francs; sold to Durand-Ruel, New York, Nov. 6 or Dec. 4, 1916 [per Durand-Ruel, Paris, stock book for 1913–21 (no. 10908, as Matinée sur la Seine, 1897) states: “Sold to DR New York on 6 November 1916.” The New York stock book for 1904–24 (no. 4023, as Matinée sur la Seine, 1897) states: “Purchased by DR New York on 4 December 1916.” Both confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file]; sold to Martin A. Ryerson, Chicago, Dec. 8, 1916, for $10,000 [per Durand-Ruel, New York, stock book for 1904–24 (no. 4023, as Matinée sur la Seine, 1897), as confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 5, 2013, curatorial object file; also a purchase receipt on Durand-Ruel letterhead, dated December 26, 1916, includes this painting as one of several sold by Durand-Ruel, New York, to M. A. Ryerson, photocopy in curatorial object file]; bequeathed to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.

Wildenstein, Claude Monet, cat rais. 1996 1475

Wildenstein, Claude Monet, biographie et catalogue raisonné, 1979 1475

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

On View

Status

Department

Artist

Title

Place

Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Medium

Inscriptions

Dimensions

Credit Line

Reference Number

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

Explore Further

Suggested Terms

On View

Date:

Artist:

About this artwork

Status

Department

Artist

Title

Place

Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Medium

Inscriptions

Dimensions

Credit Line

Reference Number

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

Extended information about this artwork

Publication History

Exhibition History

Provenance

Catalogues Raisonnés

Share

Explore Further

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Gallery actions

Image actions

Share

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.