National Museum Australia – Collection of Monet’s Masterpieces

When it is wet and raining outdoor, it is always a good idea to explore the museum. During my visit to Canberra-Australia, it was raining in the morning so we went to check out the National Museum of Australia. We were super excited to find out there is a special exhibit for Monet Impression Sunrise which starts from 7 Jun to 1 Sept 2019.  No wonder there were crowds soon after the museum opened.

The museum is free but to visit Monet’s exhibit, there is a fee to pay.  The line is not short too.  We queue for 30 minutes to get in.

Impression, Sunrise

Monet painted Impression, Sunrise in Le Harve, a major port in northern France also his hometown. Hence there is quite a big collection of paintings from Le Harve port.

Monet painted Impression, Sunrise in Le Harve, a major port in northern France also his hometown. Hence there is quite a big collection of paintings from Le Harve port.

Impression Sunrise is one of major artwork done in the early days by Monet. It was painted from a hotel window at Le Havre in 1872. This piece of art usually don’t travel and when it does, it normally travel for one month. So we were lucky to be able to look at this painting.

Monet was good at capturing light and natural forms, the painting was smooth and nice blend of colors.

A trained guide help to explain Monet’s work to the group.

Haystacks Series

Water Lilies Series

This is the largest of Monet’s series depicting his flower garden at Giverny. Many of work for water lilies series was done during his later years when he also suffered from cataracts and not able to see well.  No wonder his drawings stand out.

 

Gift shop

The gift shop at the National Museum of Australia is big and has lots of interesting items such as jewelry, Indigenous products, toys, books bath and body products, candles, giftware and more.  It was quite packed during our visit.

Outdoor Art

There are several of them and you can walk around to find them.  The surrounding is pretty huge and spacious with neatly trimmed lawn.

A metal ball with Aboriginal Arts.

Not sure what this is, but it did make a great picture.

Permanent Exhibitions

You can spend many hours in the National Museum of Australia, besides the special exhibition for Monet, there are permanent exhibition to tell stories of Australia. You can walk on your own or engage a guided tour to help you understand the Australian’s arts and history.

Barkcloth of Polynesia

The national collection includes 170,000 iconic and highly celebrated works of art spanning four main areas: Australian art, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, Asian art, and European and American art.

The compound is so huge and I suggest you take a break at the cafe (have your lunch ) in the museum then continue.  The cafe is not the usual cafe that you visited, it has stunning architecture and spectacular views over Lake Burley Griffin.  I am pretty sure you will enjoy the view!

Address:

Lawson Cres, Acton ACT 2601, Australia

Final thoughts:

We were so glad to be able to see Monet’s collection of artwork during our visit to Canberra. Besides Monet’s collections, we were also able to see the wide range of permanent collection from indigenous arts to Asian, Australian and the American arts. A 5-star museum with an elegant building, ideal for family with kids.