Monet’s Venice Exhibition Opens at Brooklyn Museum, Largest in NYC in 25 Years
A new immersive exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum opened today, transporting visitors to turn-of-the-century Venice through the paintings of Claude Monet, accompanied by an original symphony and a custom fragrance.
Monet and Venice features a collection of the famed Impressionist’s work created during a brief but impactful trip with his wife, Alice, in 1908. The exhibition uniquely blends visual art with other sensory experiences, including a scent designed to evoke the marine air of the Venetian lagoon created by Joya Studios in Brooklyn, and a 36-minute symphony composed by Niles Luther, the museum’s composer-in-residence. “His paintings are very complex, very layered,” said Lisa Small, senior curator of European art at the Brooklyn Museum. This exhibition is particularly significant as it represents the largest display of Monet’s work in New York City in a quarter of a century, offering a rare opportunity to experience his art on such a grand scale.
Visitors have described the experience as dreamlike, with the combination of art, sound, and scent creating a powerful sense of place. “This sort of brings me back into a world of enchantment… It makes me feel as if I’m back in Europe,” said Adele Lake, who traveled from North Carolina to see the show. The exhibit highlights Monet’s fascination with light and water, particularly evident in his iconic water-lily paintings, and traces his journey through familiar Venetian landmarks. For those interested in learning more about Impressionism, the Metropolitan Museum of Art offers a comprehensive overview of the movement.
The exhibition culminates in a circular gallery showcasing multiple canvases of the same Venetian locations painted at different times of day, set to Luther’s original symphony. “He was inspired by the same sights and sounds that Monet was,” Small explained. “And he wrote this really evocative… symphony comprised of several movements, each of which relates to one of Monet’s motifs.” The Brooklyn Museum website provides further details about the exhibition and related events.
Monet and Venice will be on display at the Brooklyn Museum through February 1, 2026, offering ample opportunity for art enthusiasts to immerse themselves in Monet’s Venetian world.
