MONET CLAUDE. (1840-1926). French impressionist painter. ALS. (“Claude Monet”). 1p. 8vo. Giverny, January 26, (1891). To French writer, art critic and Monet’s close friend GUSTAVE GEFFROY (1820-1895). In French with translation.

“I am coming to Paris tomorrow morning. I have advised Gallimard that I will come and ask him to lunch tomorrow. I am bringing him the Meules. [Haystacks]. Try to come. I am planning to stay as little as possible and go back to work. See you tomorrow then. Warm regards…”

In 1883, Monet with his wife and children settled in Giverny, a hamlet near Vernon outside of Paris. Monet’s explorations of the temporal variations of light and atmosphere on the landscapes he painted there are among the most striking and beautiful of all Impressionist works. Painted outdoors, they capture the French countryside’s charm, an inspiration for many artists. One of Monet’s best known subjects are the numerous renditions of Les Meules à Giverny, haystacks that he painted in different light and from different angles. Although he had already painted a few canvases featuring haystacks, Monet completed 25 such paintings between summer 1890 and spring 1891. In May 1891, Paul Durand-Ruel’s gallery exhibited 15 of them. One of the haystack paintings from the 1891 Durand-Ruel exhibition was purchased by an American, Mrs. Potter Palmer. In 2019, Sotheby’s sold the painting for a record $110,747,000. The exhibition was met with critical acclaim and commercial success and allowed Monet to acquire the Giverny estate where he remained until the end of his life; it is now a beloved national monument that hosts tens of thousands of visitors each year.

Geffroy was a journalist at future Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau’s La Justice, where he wrote articles defending the Impressionists and becoming Monet’s close friend. Geffroy authored Claude Monet, Sa Vie, Son Temps, Son Oeuvre in 1922 and was responsible for introducing Monet to Clemenceau who developed a close friendship with the painter and was present at his death.

Born into wealth Paul Gallimard (1850-1929) studied painting at the École des Beaux-Arts and owned the Théâtre des Variétés. However, he is remembered best for his art collection, which included works by Rembrandt, El Greco, Goya, Daumier, Corot, Renoir, Ingres, Delacroix, Fragonard, Millet, Manet, Berthe Morisot, Renoir, and Monet. Gallimard was also a bibliophile whose son founded the publishing house Éditions Gallimard.

Written in Monet’s customary purple ink. With the original, hand-addressed envelope.