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For those who have long romanticized the floating city of Venice, the Brooklyn Museum's new exhibit will only stoke those desires. Featuring a rare reunion of Claude Monet's iconic Venetian paintings, visitors are encouraged to "travel" to this dreamy destination and immerse themselves in art inspired by the city's timeless beauty.
"Monet and Venice" engages audiences through multi-sensory elements, including an original symphonic score inspired by Monet's Venice paintings by the Brooklyn Museum's composer in residence, Niles Luther. The collection marks New York's largest museum show dedicated to Monet in over 25 years, featuring 100 artworks, books and memorabilia, including 19 of Monet's paintings of Venice. It's the first dedicated exploration of these pieces since their debut in 1912.
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When Claude Monet first visited the Italian city of Venice in 1908, he remarked the city was "too beautiful to be painted." Still, he set on his journey of capturing the city's interplay of land and sea.
As you enter the exhibit, you're immersed into Venice almost immediately with film and clips from the city, along with the sound of water lapping against boats. The multi-sensory elements feel transportative, letting you experience Venice's atmosphere first hand. This part of the show is produced by Brooklyn-based design and tech studio Potion, featuring film by Venice-based Joan Porcel Studio and an ethereal soundscape by Luther, using field recordings he captured in Venice and parts of melodies from his symphony.
"Blending Italian, French and American traditions, the composition mirrors Monet's shimmering, dissolving Venice, transforming brushstrokes into living sound that surrounds the listener with both light and longing," Luther said in a statement. "In composing for this exhibition, I’ve approached the paintings as 'souvenirs' in the way Monet described them—memories infused with both beauty and melancholy.”
This exhibit explores Monet's time in Venice—an oft-unexplored chapter in the artist's late career—but one of the most pivotal, as he was captivated by Venice's architecture and landscape, jumpstarting his obsession with water and reflection paintings. On display are three of his most famous Impressionist-style works: depictions of Venice's Palazzo Dario, the San Giorgio Maggiore and the Palazzo Ducale.
The showcase was organized with the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco and co-curated by Lisa Small, the senior curator of European Art at the Brooklyn Museum. "Monet found the lagoon city an ideal environment for capturing the evanescent, interconnected effects of colored light and air that define his radical style," Small said. "It's thrilling to reunite so many of Monet's radiant paintings of Venice, including Brooklyn’s own Palazzo Ducale."
The exhibition also displays guidebooks of Venice and postcards. Plus, see letters written by Monet's wife, Alice, to her daughter, including one marking where the couple stayed for part of their trip.
In addition to Monet's paintings of Venice, the exhibition showcases over a dozen other works created throughout the artist's career that show his lifelong fascination with water and reflection—including two pieces from Monet's iconic "Water Lilies" series. The exhibition also includes pieces inspired by the city from artists such as Canaletto, John Singer Sargent, J.M.W Turner and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
The exhibition is open for visitors from October 11 until February 1, 2026. Tickets are $30 for adults with reduced pricing for students, children, those with disabilities and adults over 65.