Monet’s Final Bow

By on January 6, 2007

Personally I want to thank the North Carolina Museum of Art for a fantastic Monet In Normandy show. More specifically Director Larry Wheeler and Curator David Steele helped to arrange an outstanding exhibition along with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. The 50 painting exhibit is the first scholarly exhibition to deal with Normandy, and is the first comprehensive Monet exhibit in the Southeast.

I finally got a chance to experience the exhibit today. Impressive was the informal feel of the exhibit. Rarely do guests get a chance to get as close as 24" from rare, original works in a museum setting. Of course Monet’s use of color, light, and stroke are the subjects of volumes of published material, but I have to say they can only be truly appreciated in person. It is fascinating how badly television and still photography miss the true colors Monet used.

One interesting aspect of the exhibit is the confluence of people who also saw the exhibit. We spoke to a person from California who came to see the exhibit as well as a man from Georgia who drove all night for the chance to scalp a ticket at the museum’s entrance.

The works themselves traveled many miles for the exhibit, too. Private collections and great museum collections from the United States, Europe, and Japan contributed to the project. Three paintings are locally owned, however. While The Cliff at Etretat and The Seine at Giverny, Morning Mists are from the NCMA collection, The Waves at Manneporte is in a local, private collection (it is the second one displayed in the Manneporte series). The 1885 painting was sold at auction in 2003 for only $669,500 while the one displayed to the left in the exhibit went for $1,799,500. It seems that our neighbors got a good deal, to be honest.

The exhibit has been a booming success. So much that tickets only remain for the 3:00am and 4:30am showings in the morning of January 14. If you get a chance to go, I strongly recommend investing $5 in the portable audio tour as well as wearing comfortable shoes.

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Posted in Arts & Entertainment | 82 Responses

Joe

Also I agree with the lady above who said the crowds were so big you could not even stand far enough back from the paintings to get a really good view in such a confined space. Maybe next time they will plan better and not use a really crowded tiny space.
Joe

Also I agree with the lady above who said the crowds were so big you could not even stand far enough back from the paintings to get a really good view in such a confined space. Maybe next time they will plan better and not use a really crowded tiny space.
Deb

I guess I don’t understand what some of you did to try and get tickets. I went twice to the exhibit and got tickets for the upcoming time slot, Buddy. Of course I went in November. If the N&O; does a story, then they discuss why people waited till the last minute to try and see the exhibit and then complain because they couldn’t get in. Thanks to the NCMA for this wonderful exhibit. They did a great job!
Deb

I guess I don’t understand what some of you did to try and get tickets. I went twice to the exhibit and got tickets for the upcoming time slot, Buddy. Of course I went in November. If the N&O does a story, then they discuss why people waited till the last minute to try and see the exhibit and then complain because they couldn’t get in. Thanks to the NCMA for this wonderful exhibit. They did a great job!
Tom

Sure it would be nice to have a chance to see the exhibit with fewer people around but there is something to be said about enjoying crowded events like this. Would you like to go to a concert with an empty auditorium? I know it’s not really the same but for those of us who got to go, we are part of a select group and I think it’s cool to be around that many people enjoying art. A few years ago I went to the Vermeer exhibit at the National Gallery in DC. The line stretched around the entire museum (and if you’ve seen that building, you know that’s a LONG line.) It was a lot more packed than my Saturday trip to Monet and when I got in, I met a couple who had come from Colorado to see it. There were people there from all over the country. The experience wouldn’t be nearly as memorable without the crowd. If there had been times when it wasn’t crowded here could we still consider the Monet exhibition a success?
Tom

Sure it would be nice to have a chance to see the exhibit with fewer people around but there is something to be said about enjoying crowded events like this. Would you like to go to a concert with an empty auditorium? I know it’s not really the same but for those of us who got to go, we are part of a select group and I think it’s cool to be around that many people enjoying art. A few years ago I went to the Vermeer exhibit at the National Gallery in DC. The line stretched around the entire museum (and if you’ve seen that building, you know that’s a LONG line.) It was a lot more packed than my Saturday trip to Monet and when I got in, I met a couple who had come from Colorado to see it. There were people there from all over the country. The experience wouldn’t be nearly as memorable without the crowd. If there had been times when it wasn’t crowded here could we still consider the Monet exhibition a success?
Beth Y

I didn’t have any trouble getting tickets either, except the last time I called, about four weeks ago, and then had to come later than I wanted, but still got in the day I wanted. Granted it was a tuesday afternoon. And I saw it three times! It may be that these people were wanting it for the most popular times and they were just booked already.
I remember going to the National Gallery in DC for the Van Gogh show. Waited a hour or so in line JUST TO GET TICKETS! Then, when we got in, it was packed and hot. Not the best experience, but at least I got to see it. I have been to lots of shows of this caliber and all are packed. I don’t know how a museum could do better “planning” to make it less crowded. When the time you have the art is limited (the other museums don’t like to let their art go for long), I think the idea is to let as many people see it that you can.
Beth Y

I didn’t have any trouble getting tickets either, except the last time I called, about four weeks ago, and then had to come later than I wanted, but still got in the day I wanted. Granted it was a tuesday afternoon. And I saw it three times! It may be that these people were wanting it for the most popular times and they were just booked already.
I remember going to the National Gallery in DC for the Van Gogh show. Waited a hour or so in line JUST TO GET TICKETS! Then, when we got in, it was packed and hot. Not the best experience, but at least I got to see it. I have been to lots of shows of this caliber and all are packed. I don’t know how a museum could do better “planning” to make it less crowded. When the time you have the art is limited (the other museums don’t like to let their art go for long), I think the idea is to let as many people see it that you can.
lg

But what good is just “seeing” the art, if you don’t have the time and space to take it all in and truly appreciate it. I am not an art expert by any means – just a casual fan, I guess you could say. But all I can say about Monet is that I saw it, like a notch in my art exhibit belt. I did not get the chance to really appreciate it. I would rather have gone to an exhibit with 5 Monet paintings that I could really see and study, rather than 50 that I had to push through crowds to peer at briefly.
After seeing Monet we stayed and walked through the rest of the museum – leisurely pace, sparse crowd. Much better experience for me.
lg

But what good is just “seeing” the art, if you don’t have the time and space to take it all in and truly appreciate it. I am not an art expert by any means – just a casual fan, I guess you could say. But all I can say about Monet is that I saw it, like a notch in my art exhibit belt. I did not get the chance to really appreciate it. I would rather have gone to an exhibit with 5 Monet paintings that I could really see and study, rather than 50 that I had to push through crowds to peer at briefly.
After seeing Monet we stayed and walked through the rest of the museum – leisurely pace, sparse crowd. Much better experience for me.
Betsy

Blockbuster sellout shows don’t have sparse crowds.
However, you can always go to the individual museums that own the paintings to see the works without a crowd.
The advantage of a special show is that all the paintings are in one location. The disadvantage of a show is that lots of people come to see them.
In any case, I found that a good way to enjoy this show was to focus on those paintings that didn’t have as many viewers in front of them, then circle back to pick up the others when the crowds thinned in fron of those.
Betsy

Blockbuster sellout shows don’t have sparse crowds.
However, you can always go to the individual museums that own the paintings to see the works without a crowd.
The advantage of a special show is that all the paintings are in one location. The disadvantage of a show is that lots of people come to see them.
In any case, I found that a good way to enjoy this show was to focus on those paintings that didn’t have as many viewers in front of them, then circle back to pick up the others when the crowds thinned in fron of those.
Pan

I agree with lg – what good is it going to see it if you’re jampacked in like sardines in a can.
Pan

I agree with lg – what good is it going to see it if you’re jampacked in like sardines in a can.
Pan

I agree with lg – what good is it going to see it if you’re jampacked in like sardines in a can.
Pan

I agree with lg – what good is it going to see it if you’re jampacked in like sardines in a can.
Leanne

Didn’t get over to see the exhibit, but it sounded real interesting.
http://profile.typekey.com/captainx/ Bryant

Then I suppose the answer is simple – do not go.
Betsy’s points pretty much spell out the pro’s and con’s of each scenario. If you dislike the crowds, you can choose not to go – and since the event is sold out, you shouldn’t have a problem with it.
Complaining that the crowds are somehow due to a lack of planning on the part of the NCMA leadership shows a lack of understanding of how such exhibitions work.
Leanne

Didn’t get over to see the exhibit, but it sounded real interesting.
http://profile.typekey.com/captainx/ Bryant

Then I suppose the answer is simple – do not go.
Betsy’s points pretty much spell out the pro’s and con’s of each scenario. If you dislike the crowds, you can choose not to go – and since the event is sold out, you shouldn’t have a problem with it.
Complaining that the crowds are somehow due to a lack of planning on the part of the NCMA leadership shows a lack of understanding of how such exhibitions work.
Beth Y

The “good” of seeing these shows is the ability to see certain art without having to travel to London, Paris, Milan, people’s private homes, or wherever the art regularly “lives” to see it. Or it is in seeing a group of pieces in a certain context –the Monet was works from one artist painting one geographical area, shown chronologically. There is no other way to see all these Monet’s together, without seeing such a blockbuster show. In DC, seeing all those Van Gogh’s together at one time, hung chronologically, you could literally see him lose him mind. It was a very moving experience for me, even with the crowds, and an experience I never could have had without such a show.
Just the nature of the beast. These museums just don’t lend their priceless art out for long and lots of people want to see them when they do…hence, lines!
Beth Y

The “good” of seeing these shows is the ability to see certain art without having to travel to London, Paris, Milan, people’s private homes, or wherever the art regularly “lives” to see it. Or it is in seeing a group of pieces in a certain context –the Monet was works from one artist painting one geographical area, shown chronologically. There is no other way to see all these Monet’s together, without seeing such a blockbuster show. In DC, seeing all those Van Gogh’s together at one time, hung chronologically, you could literally see him lose him mind. It was a very moving experience for me, even with the crowds, and an experience I never could have had without such a show.
Just the nature of the beast. These museums just don’t lend their priceless art out for long and lots of people want to see them when they do…hence, lines!
Pan

Yes it is great to have the opportunity to see it, and we are grateful to the NCMA for the chance. But we would like to have actually been able to see it, per lg’s comment, and not just have to try to manuever around five little kids and lots of people to see the edges of a painting. A bigger room would have helped, like some othr art museums have for these exhibits.
Pan

Yes it is great to have the opportunity to see it, and we are grateful to the NCMA for the chance. But we would like to have actually been able to see it, per lg’s comment, and not just have to try to manuever around five little kids and lots of people to see the edges of a painting. A bigger room would have helped, like some othr art museums have for these exhibits.
De

I have been to other exhibits at larger museums and they were just as crowded, if not more so. I felt there was ample spacing between the paintings and besides, even if you have 50,000 square feet, it is still going to be crowded around the paintings. And if you let fewer people in, there would be more people on here complaining about not being able to get tickets. I know you can’t everyone….I’m just wondering if you can please anyone.
De

I have been to other exhibits at larger museums and they were just as crowded, if not more so. I felt there was ample spacing between the paintings and besides, even if you have 50,000 square feet, it is still going to be crowded around the paintings. And if you let fewer people in, there would be more people on here complaining about not being able to get tickets. I know you can’t everyone….I’m just wondering if you can please anyone.
http://profile.typekey.com/captainx/ Bryant

I was finally able to visit the exhibit today – I’ll admit it, I’m a procrastinator, but I didn’t wait so late as to miss it completely.
What an experience. Anyone who didn’t make the show should really kick themselves. Yes, there were a lot of people there, but honestly, I didn’t think it was that crowded in all actuality. People were pleasant and polite. No one pushed, shoved, or intentionally got in anyone’s way so far as I saw during the entire two hours we viewed the gallery. The museum staff were extremely polite and helpful. The security were never rude or impolite, and I saw one guard making way through the crowd with a wheelchair for an elderly woman who had to sit down for a rest after only seeing part of the works – it allowed her to enjoy the rest of the show without feeling rushed or burdened. The audio tour was worth every penny for the insightful commentary into Monet the man and the artist.
I again applaud the work of every member of the NCMA staff who worked so hard on bringing this show here and pulling it off so effectively. Even in the last twenty-four hour marathon, everyone seemed glad to help out. Staff members from various unrelated departments in the museum were even volunteering for security duty for the last twenty-four hours to help contribute.
What’s more, they aren’t done. Once the dust settles from this incredible show, they’ll be gearing up for the Egypt collection visiting in a few month’s from Great Britain, and having meetings to discuss the planned shows stretching out over the next five or six years. I was lucky enough to see that list, and let me tell you, if they pull half off half of them, we’ll again be here talking about more amazing shows we didn’t expect to see in Raleigh. Hopefully people will soon realize just how good we have it with our museum, and more people will learn their lesson from Monet and go early (and even more than once, if at all possible) so that they will not be again lamenting missing such an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
http://profile.typekey.com/captainx/ Bryant

I was finally able to visit the exhibit today – I’ll admit it, I’m a procrastinator, but I didn’t wait so late as to miss it completely.
What an experience. Anyone who didn’t make the show should really kick themselves. Yes, there were a lot of people there, but honestly, I didn’t think it was that crowded in all actuality. People were pleasant and polite. No one pushed, shoved, or intentionally got in anyone’s way so far as I saw during the entire two hours we viewed the gallery. The museum staff were extremely polite and helpful. The security were never rude or impolite, and I saw one guard making way through the crowd with a wheelchair for an elderly woman who had to sit down for a rest after only seeing part of the works – it allowed her to enjoy the rest of the show without feeling rushed or burdened. The audio tour was worth every penny for the insightful commentary into Monet the man and the artist.
I again applaud the work of every member of the NCMA staff who worked so hard on bringing this show here and pulling it off so effectively. Even in the last twenty-four hour marathon, everyone seemed glad to help out. Staff members from various unrelated departments in the museum were even volunteering for security duty for the last twenty-four hours to help contribute.
What’s more, they aren’t done. Once the dust settles from this incredible show, they’ll be gearing up for the Egypt collection visiting in a few month’s from Great Britain, and having meetings to discuss the planned shows stretching out over the next five or six years. I was lucky enough to see that list, and let me tell you, if they pull half off half of them, we’ll again be here talking about more amazing shows we didn’t expect to see in Raleigh. Hopefully people will soon realize just how good we have it with our museum, and more people will learn their lesson from Monet and go early (and even more than once, if at all possible) so that they will not be again lamenting missing such an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Pan

Thanks again Ncma for the opportunity to view this exhibit – whole family enjoyed going. Some good comments posted that were in favor, some against – but both opinions deserve to be heard. That’s what this forum is about, isn’t it? I heard people get bashed for expressing an opinion, and actually all the opinions expressed here are worthwhile. It wouldn’t be a very diverse world if the only opinion allowed to be expressed on here were “coos of wonder” at how great the exhibit was. It was great, but also crowded, some problems viewing the paintings, crowd detracted from the experience, some people could not get tickets,etc. So both points of view are valid and I definitely would not only want to see everyone blindly agreeing on this site and bashing any dissenters.
Pan

Thanks again Ncma for the opportunity to view this exhibit – whole family enjoyed going. Some good comments posted that were in favor, some against – but both opinions deserve to be heard. That’s what this forum is about, isn’t it? I heard people get bashed for expressing an opinion, and actually all the opinions expressed here are worthwhile. It wouldn’t be a very diverse world if the only opinion allowed to be expressed on here were “coos of wonder” at how great the exhibit was. It was great, but also crowded, some problems viewing the paintings, crowd detracted from the experience, some people could not get tickets,etc. So both points of view are valid and I definitely would not only want to see everyone blindly agreeing on this site and bashing any dissenters.
Joe

Number of us think it was way too crowded, these are good comments for NCMA to learn from for the next time. Live and learn, right. Still a good exhibit, just really a lot harder to appreciate and see fully due to the limited space.
Joe

Number of us think it was way too crowded, these are good comments for NCMA to learn from for the next time. Live and learn, right. Still a good exhibit, just really a lot harder to appreciate and see fully due to the limited space.

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Monet’s Final Bow

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