Claude Monet Paintings in New York — Where to See Them

New York is one of the easiest places to take the measure of Monet in the U.S., with approximately 23 paintings on permanent display across seven museums, anchored by 13 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. You can see his work in different curatorial contexts—from modernism at MoMA (3) and the Guggenheim (1) to the intimate Frick (1) and the Brooklyn Museum (1)—and extend the trip upstate to the Buffalo AKG Art Museum (1) and the Memorial Art Gallery at the University of Rochester (3). This mix of density and variety lets you compare Monet side by side across collections in a single itinerary.

At a Glance

Highlight: The Met's 13 Monets as a centerpiece stop
Best For: Impressionism fans planning a New York multi-museum day

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

With 13 Monets spanning early Seine views to late Giverny canvases, the Met lets you track his evolution from broken brushwork to immersive, near-abstract surfaces. Seeing multiple phases side by side highlights his serial method—returning to the same motif to study shifting light and weather.

Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies

1899

Iconic Japanese bridge at Giverny, a signature Impressionist highlight showcasing Monet’s mature style and color harmonies.

Must-see

Water Lilies

1916–19

Monumental late panel from Giverny pond, pushing toward abstraction through reflections, color, and surface.

Must-see

Garden at Sainte-Adresse

1867

Early masterpiece of seaside leisure; bold color bands foreshadow Impressionism and Japanese print influence.

Must-see

Bouquet of Sunflowers

1881

Vibrant Vétheuil garden still life praised for bravura brushwork; even admired and debated by Van Gogh.

Chrysanthemums

1882

Lush floral still life revealing Monet’s garden fascination and virtuosic color handling in the early 1880s.

The Valley of the Nervia

1884

Italian Riviera view with luminous Maritime Alps; crisp light and color from Monet’s Bordighera campaign.

Ice Floes

1893

Atmospheric Seine thaw from winter series near Giverny, studying shifting light on melting ice.

Landscape: The Parc Monceau

1876

Paris park scene emphasizing dappled greens and modern leisure in fresh, broken brushwork.

Camille Monet (1847–1879) on a Garden Bench

1873

Intimate portrait of Monet’s wife amid Argenteuil garden; fashion details and mood suggest personal narrative.

Camille Monet (1847–1879) in the Garden at Argenteuil

1876

Sunlit domestic garden where hollyhocks dominate; shimmering color and light animate everyday life.

Poppy Fields near Argenteuil

1875

Breezy plein-air study of poppies and sky over Gennevilliers plain, continuing Monet’s Argenteuil explorations.

Address: 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028

Hours: Sunday–Tuesday and Thursday: 10 am–5 pm; Friday and Saturday: 10 am–9 pm; closed Wednesday.

Admission: Adults $30; Seniors $22; Students $17; Children under 12 and Members free; NY State residents and NY/NJ/CT students pay-what-you-wish (same-day entry to both Met locations).

Tip: Arrive at opening on a weekday and head straight to the 19th‑century European painting rooms; see a late Water Lilies first, then backtrack to the earlier river scenes to feel the dramatic leap in scale and touch.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

MoMA’s Monets are presented as a bridge from Impressionism to modern abstraction, emphasizing the all-over surface and optical vibration that later painters seized on. The display underscores how Monet’s late work anticipated the immersive canvases of Abstract Expressionism.

Water Lilies (triptych)

A mural-scale panorama of Monet’s Giverny pond, this three-panel Water Lilies envelops you in floating pads, sky reflections, and color that drifts without a horizon. It’s a late, immersive statement from the series that helped nudge modern painting toward abstraction—look for the seams where the panels meet, the scumbled brushwork, and how space dissolves into layered violets, blues, and greens. ([moma.org](https://www.moma.org/collection/works/80220?artist_id=4058&page=1&sov_referrer=artist))

Must-see

Water Lilies

This single, nearly 20-foot canvas zeroes in on the pond’s surface—no banks, just lilies and drifting reflections—so your eye swims across light and color. It shows Monet refining his motif into a meditative field that anticipates later abstract painting; notice the stacked, horizontal strokes and subtle shifts of hue that make depth appear and vanish. ([moma.org](https://www.moma.org/collection/works/80298?artist_id=4058&page=1&sov_referrer=artist))

Must-see

Agapanthus

Monet turns from the water’s surface to the tall agapanthus plants that fringe the pond, building their blooms from quick, loaded touches of blue, violet, and green. Painted alongside the lily murals, it underscores his late ambition to translate sensation into atmosphere—watch how the upright stalks rhythmically anchor a field where edges blur and color carries the scene. ([moma.org](https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79922?artist_id=4058&page=1&sov_referrer=artist))

Must-see

Address: 11 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019

Hours: Daily 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Fridays until 8:30 p.m.

Admission: Adults $30; Seniors (65+) $22; Students $17; Children 16 and under free.

Tip: Go directly to the fifth‑floor painting galleries at rope drop, take a bench, and give your eyes 2–3 quiet minutes—subtle color shifts emerge that most visitors miss when they glance and move on.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

The Guggenheim’s single Monet is strategically set within the museum’s story of modernism, making his light‑driven innovations a starting point for the spiral’s march toward abstraction. Experiencing it on the ramp accentuates how viewing angle and distance modulate his flickering color.

The Palazzo Ducale, Seen from San Giorgio Maggiore

1908

Monet captures the Doge’s Palace across the Bacino di San Marco as seen from the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, dissolving the architecture into misty light and rippling water. Painted during his 1908 Venice campaign, it exemplifies his late focus on atmosphere and shifting color rather than precise detail. Look for the lace-like façade veiled in pinks and violets and the broken brushstrokes that turn reflections into a shimmering surface.

Must-see

Address: 1071 5th Ave, New York, NY 10128

Hours: Daily 11:00 AM–6:00 PM (Saturday until 8:00 PM)

Admission: Adults $30; Students/Seniors $19; Children under 12 free

Tip: Ride the elevator to the top and view the Monet early; then pass it again on your way down—the changing natural and ramp lighting reveals different tonal relationships.

Brooklyn Museum

Brooklyn’s lone Monet is often shown alongside American Impressionists, clarifying how his broken color and plein‑air practice were absorbed and transformed in the U.S. The intimate presentation makes his surface handling easier to scrutinize than in blockbuster settings.

The Palazzo Ducale (The Doge’s Palace)

1908

Brooklyn Museum’s signature Monet; luminous 1908 Venetian view capturing atmosphere and light across the Grand Canal, a highlight of its European painting collection.

Must-see

Address: 200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11238

Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 11 am–6 pm; Monday–Tuesday closed.

Admission: Adults $20; Seniors/Students $14; ages 13–19 and ages 4–12 free; pay-what-you-can available on-site.

Tip: Check gallery rotations the day before you go; when it’s on view, start there first—weekday late afternoons tend to be calm enough to study the brushwork up close.

The Frick Collection

Amid a collection famed for Old Masters, the Frick’s Monet stands out as a deliberate, taste‑testing exception—proof of how his modern vision could persuade even conservative patrons. The domestic scale of the rooms lets you read the painting at living‑room distance, as a collector would have.

Address: 1 E 70th St, New York, NY 10021

Hours: Monday, Wednesday–Sunday 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Tuesday closed

Admission: Adults $30

Tip: Go in the morning for softer natural light and borrow the audio guide—curator notes on placement and collecting context deepen what you see in the paint.

Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Buffalo AKG’s Monet anchors a narrative from French Impressionism to 20th‑century modernism that the museum championed early on. In this context, his treatment of atmosphere reads as a springboard to later experiments with color fields and opticality.

Address: 1285 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14222

Hours: Mon 10 am–5 pm; Tue–Wed closed; Thu 10 am–5 pm; Fri 10 am–8 pm (to 9 pm on M&T First Fridays); Sat 10 am–6 pm; Sun 10 am–5 pm. ([buffaloakg.org](https://buffaloakg.org/hours-admission))

Admission: General Museum Admission: Adults $22; Seniors (62+) $20; College Students $20; Youth (5–18) $10; Children (4 and under) free; Members free. Special exhibitions may require an added fee. ([buffaloakg.org](https://buffaloakg.org/hours-admission))

Tip: Start in the European modernism galleries before the midday rush; the museum’s new campus spreads highlights, so grab a map and beeline to Monet first to avoid backtracking.

Memorial Art Gallery (University of Rochester)

With three Monets, this university museum offers a compact but varied mini‑survey—often including different motifs or periods—without big‑city crowds. The quieter setting rewards slow looking, making his layering and color temperature shifts unusually legible.

Waterloo Bridge, Veiled Sun

1903

Iconic London series canvas; a MAG highlight and centerpiece of a 2018 conservation and technical study.

Must-see

The Rocks at Pourville, Low Tide

1882

Normandy coastal view from Monet’s 1882 Pourville campaign, capturing surf, rock forms, and shifting seaside light.

Must-see

Towing a Boat, Honfleur

1864

Early marine subject from Honfleur, reflecting Monet’s roots in working waterfront motifs and atmospheric effects.

Must-see

Address: 500 University Ave, Rochester, NY 14607

Hours: Museum galleries: Wednesday–Sunday 11:00 am–5:00 pm; Thursdays & Second Fridays 11:00 am–8:00 pm; closed Monday–Tuesday.

Admission: Adults $20; Seniors (62+) $18; College students and ages 6–18 $9; Free for members and ages 5 and under; half‑price after 5 pm Thursdays and Second Fridays.

Tip: Aim for Thursday evening hours or early weekend openings and confirm which Monets are on view; gallery rotations are common, and a docent tour can add useful context on technique.

Claude Monet and New York

Claude Monet never lived, trained, or even set foot in the United States—but New York played a pivotal role in his career’s reception. In April 1886, dealer Paul Durand‑Ruel mounted “Works in Oil and Pastel by the Impressionists of Paris” at the American Art Association in Manhattan (April 10–28), a landmark show that included Monet and helped introduce Impressionism to U.S. audiences ¹. The exhibition then continued in New York at the National Academy of Design through June, solidifying interest among American collectors ². Building on this success, Durand‑Ruel opened a New York branch on Fifth Avenue in 1887, creating a permanent conduit for Monet’s work to reach the city’s buyers ³. Monet’s paintings appeared prominently again in New York at the 1913 Armory Show (69th Regiment Armory, February 17–March 15), where he was listed among the European masters shaping modern art ⁴. New York museums deepened this connection: the Metropolitan Museum of Art now holds major Monets, including Water Lilies (1919) ⁶, while MoMA’s celebrated Water Lilies triptych—acquired in 1959 after a 1958 fire destroyed the museum’s first large Monet panel—cements his enduring presence in the city’s cultural memory ⁵. In short, though Monet never came to New York, New York decisively came to Monet—and championed him to America ⁷.

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