1840 – Born in Paris son of wholesale grocer Adolphe Monet
and his wife Louise.
1845 – Family moves to Le Havre, most important port on English Channel coast.
1855 – Monet gains reputation for caricatures of local
worthies.
1856 – Seacoast painter Eugène Boudin introduces him to open-air painting.
1859-60 – First visit to Paris, meets landscapist Constant
Troyon and Realist circle.
1861-62 – Military service, stationed in Algeria.
1862 – Meets Jockind
in Normandy, enters Gleyre studio in
Paris where he will meet Bazille, Renoir
and Sisley.
1864 – Painting in forest of Fontainebleau, on channel
coast, around Honfleur and Le Havre.
1865 – Shows two seascapes at Paris Salon. Meets Camille Doncieux young woman of
bourgeois background from Lyon. Begins Déjeuner sur l’Herbe.
1866 – Fails to finish Déjeuner sur l’herbe, works on Women in the Garden in Ville d’Avray.
1867 – Women in the Garden refused in Salon. Birth
of his son Jean, financial
difficulties force him to move back to his family in Le Havre.
1868 – Living with Camille and Jean at Etretat.
1869 – Submissions rejected at Salon. Living and
working in Bougival often in the company of Renoir and Pissarro.
1870 – Marries
Camille, honeymoon in Trouville. Takes refuge in London in autumn after break-out of Franco-Prussian war.
1871 – Introduced in London by François Daubigny to his
future dealer Paul Durand-Ruel.
Returns to France via Holland, rents house in Argenteuil at end of year.
1872 – Visits imprisoned Courbet, works in Le Havre and
Rouen, briefly returns to Holland, paints with Renoir in Argenteuil.
1873 – Decides to send nothing more to Salon. Builds studio boat. Meets Caillebotte and agrees to group exhibition.
Camille inherits from her father 15 000 francs.
1874 – First
Impressionist exhibition at Nadar’s, 35 boulevard des Capucines April 15 to
May 15. Monet shows 12 works including “Impression
– Sunrise”. Joined by Manet
and Renoir in Argenteuil.
1875 – Auction sale of Impressionist paintings at Drouot,
Monet sells for between 165 and 325 frs. Great financial difficulties, asks
help from Manet, Camille taken ill.
1876 – Second Impressionist exhibition, shows 18
pictures. Camille’s money is used
up, visits collector Ernest Hoschedé. Begins Gare Saint-Lazare series.
1877 – Third Impressionist exhibition, exhibits 30
paintings. Still desperate financial straits.
1878 – Paris World’s fair. Monets settle in Vétheuil, Michel Monet is born.
Hoschedé is bankrupt, sale of his collection, his wife, Alice and 6 children move in with the Monets at Vétheuil.
1879 – Fourth Impressionist exhibition, shows 29
pictures. Following Renoir’s
example decides to show at Salon again.
Camille dies in September.
Gives up painting until winter.
1880 – Does not show at Fifth Impressionist
exhibition. One painting shown at
Salon. Dealer Georges Petit buys 3
paintings. Paints on Normandy coast. One–man show at offices of La Vie
Moderne weekly magazine published by Charpentier.
1881 – Does not show at Sixth Impressionist
exhibition. Paints on Normandy coast. Moves with Alice and children from
Vétheuil to Poissy.
1882 – Shows in Seventh Impressionist exhibition. Paints
near Pourville on Normandy coast.
1883 – One man show at Durand-Ruel’s. Painting in Etretat. Moves form Poissy to Giverny.
1884 – Painting on the Riviera at Bordighera and Menton.
1885 – Shows for the first time with dealer Georges Petit.
Painting in Etretat.
1886 – Refuses to show in eighth and final
Impressionist exhibition. Shows with Petit. Paints in Holland
and
Belle-Isle.
1887 – First sales to Boussod & Valadon through Theo
Van Gogh. Shows with Petit.
1888 – Painting at Antibes.
Shows Antibes landscapes at Boussod & Valadon. Refuses Légion d’Honneur.
1889 – One-man show at Boussod & Valadon. Painting in
Fresselines on river Creuse. Major retrospective
at
Petit’s – good sales. Begins organizing subscription for purchase of Manet’s Olympia for
state.
1890 – Begins grain
stack series. Purchases house in
Giverny.
1891 – One man show at Durand-Ruel’s includes 15 grain
stacks. Paints Poplar series.
1892 – Poplar
exhibition at Durand-Ruel’s. Paints Rouen
Cathedral. Marries Alice
Hochédé.
1893 – Painting Rouen cathedral. Begins construction of water garden in Giverny.
1895 – Painting in Norway. Shows 20 paintings of Rouen
cathedral at Durand-Ruel’s along with other work.
1896 – Painting at Pourville. Begins Early Mornings on the Seine.
1897 – Continues Early Mornings on the Seine.
1898 – Shows Early Mornings on the Seine and
Pourville paintings at Petit’s.
1899 – Begins first series of water garden with footbridge
motif. Paints in London at Savoy hotel.
1900 – Painting in London.
First water garden paintings shown
at Durand-Ruel’s.
1901 – Painting in London. Beginning of considerable
alterations of water garden.
1903 – Begins second series of water garden paintings
continued until 1908.
1904 – London series shown at Durand-Ruel’s. Visits Madrid
to see Velasquez.
1908 – Painting in Venice.
1909 – 48 water garden paintings at Durand-Ruel’s.
1911 – Death of
Alice.
1912 – Venice paintings exhibited at Bernheim Jeune.
Cataracts diagnosed in both eyes.
1914 – Begins new studio in garden for execution of
monumental water lily series.
1916 – New studio finished.
1918 – First plans to present Water Lily decorations to
state.
1920 – Negotiations with state over presentation of the
paintings – initial plan to install them in hotel Biron (Rodin Museum).
1922 – Decorations presented to the state for installation
in Orangerie.
1923 – Cataract operation in one eye partly successful. Reworking
decorations until death.
1926 – Dies in Giverny in December.
