Monet and His Modern Legacy—Special Exhibition at the Nelson Atkins Museum

Shortly before Christmas, a friend and I met at the Nelson Atkins Museum for lunch in Rozelle Court and to tour a new exhibition called “Monet and His Modern Legacy.”

The Nelson Atkins Museum describes this as an exhibition “exploring Claude Monet’s transformative impact on a later generation of American artists.” In honor of Monet’s 150th birthday, the museum curators pulled together several of Monet’s works from their own collection and from the Museé Monmottan Monet in Paris, and they are showing these paintings next to works by other artists supposedly influenced by Monet.

As the Nelson’s website says:

“inspired by Monet’s innovative use of color, gestural forms, space, scale, and atmosphere, many Abstract Expressionist artists embarked on their own radical artistic journeys, creating unique artworks . . . that bear the unmistakable influence of Claude Monet and his enduring artistic legacy.”

I am not a visual artist, nor an art historian or critic. I know I like Impressionist paintings in general and Monet’s works in particular. Beyond that, I am mostly ignorant when it comes to art. So when I looked for Monet’s influence on other artists, I didn’t always see it.

In some works, the influence was clear. Roy Lichtenstein used Monet’s “Haystack No. 6 and No. 7” to create a silkscreen lithograph of the same subject.

In some works, the brushstrokes seem similar to Monet’s even to a neophyte like me.

But other paintings didn’t seem to fit the theme of the exhibition at all. For example, a large, almost monotone painting by Jules Olinski didn’t resemble Monet’s work, at least not to my untrained eye.

At first glance, I didn’t even like this painting. Monet’s color palettes are rich, and I found Olinski’s work to be bland. Still, as I looked at the Olinski painting again, it drew me in. It still didn’t evoke Monet, but who am I to say what inspired Olinski?

I left the exhibit thinking I still preferred Monet to any of the other artists whose works were displayed.

On retrospect, I decided I rushed through the exhibit. Although I spent a few minutes with each painting, I didn’t pay enough attention to the signage directing me where to focus, where to look for the influence of Monet in the other works. Moreover, I didn’t spend enough time with the paintings to fully experience them. For example, one sign suggested

“Imagine you are stepping inside each painting. How would it feel to be surrounded by all the different colors and details?”

I admit, I didn’t do that. I should probably return to the Nelson for a more leisurely experience.

There is plenty of time for me—and anyone else in Kansas City—to view the exhibit again. It will remain at the Nelson Atkins Museum until March 10, 2024.

Have you ever imagined yourself inside a painting?