Claude Monet, born 1840 in Paris, France, is one of the founders of the Impressionist movement. He spent his childhood in Le Havre, Normandy, where he developed a passion for drawing and painting. Encouraged by the painter Eugène Boudin, Monet adopted the technique of plein-air painting, which became the foundation of his style. He studied at the Académie Suisse in Paris, where he met Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Frédéric Bazille.

Following an illness on his return from military service in Algeria, he met the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel in Paris. Durand-Ruel was to become his main financial supporter, helping him to promote his Impressionist works. This period of illness and return to Paris was crucial to the development of his style and professional relationships.
Several major works :
. Impression, Soleil Levant: this painting, which gave its name to the Impressionist movement, captures the light of the rising sun over the port of Le Havre.

. Les Nymphéas: this series of paintings depicts the water lilies in his garden at Giverny, and is considered one of his most ambitious and emblematic works (some 250 paintings!).

. Haystacks: this series of paintings shows haystacks at different times of the day and in different weather conditions, illustrating Monet's fascination with light and atmospheric effects (25 versions).