Léon Monet, Frère De L'artiste Et Collectionneur

Exhibition at the Musée du Luxembourg, Paris, 15 March to 16 July 2023

Léon Monet (1836-1917), Claude Monet's forgotten brother, was a colour chemist, industrialist and collector who played a decisive role in the artist's career. In 1872, Léon Monet founded the Société industrielle de Rouen and decided to give active support to his brother and his Impressionist friends. These were the beginnings of a remarkable collection of modern art.

This exhibition catalogue brings together some one hundred works, including paintings and drawings by Monet, Morisot, Sisley, Pissarro and Renoir, as well as colour books, fabric samples, Japanese prints, archive documents and numerous family photographs. Claude Monet's energetic 1874 portrait of his older brother, a vibrant testament to the deep affection between the two brothers, is presented for the very first time.

The book, which also includes a selection of pages from Claude Monet's first drawing book, focuses on Léon Monet's role as a promoter of the Impressionist painters at the beginning of their career.