Claude Monet at the Grand Hotel Britannia _ His Last ExtraordinaryStay in Venice

This book is a tribute to art, to a woman, and to a city that never ceases to inspire. Emerging from a profound creative crisis, the Master of Impressionism arrives in Venice in the autumn of 1908, convinced that the city is too beautiful to be painted. He seeks only rest among the silent canals and the splendors of Palazzo Barbaro. But the city of water and light gas has other plans for him. As if by magic, amidst pearlescent mists and fiery sunsets, he finds the strength once more to challenge the myth of Turner and Sargent. And so, in Venice of all places, he will find the light needed to bring his immortal masterpieces to life.

Claude Monet did not want to visit Venice; he did not want to leave his garden at Giverny. Yet Alice, his wife, could not turn down an invitation from her friend Mrs. Hunter to spend two weeks in the most magical city in the world. The encounter between Monet and Venice would prove fateful. Like all great loves, the bond between the artist and the lagoon city would prove unbreakable—a relationship marked by the ups and downs of the ever-changing Venetian autumn weather. Gradually, Venice would reveal its most magical face, and Monet would allow himself to be seduced and completely captivated by the artistic exploration of water and light. From the windows of his room at the Grand Hotel Britannia, he enjoyed an extraordinary vantage point, working both indoors—illuminated by electric light—and “en plein air” during gondola excursions. Things might have turned out differently had the Monets stayed at a different family-run grand hotel. The friendship forged with the Walther family, the hotel's owners—allowed them to enjoy a carefree second honeymoon, pampered and catered to in every wish. This tradition lives on today at The St. Regis Venice, which honors the enduring bond between the artist and the city.