Step into the world of Claude Monet and experience haystacks and water lilies come alive in Beyond Monet which breathes new life into over 400 of Claude Monet’s artworks. Occupying over 50,000 square feet, Beyond Monet is the largest immersive experience in the country. Comprised of over 4 trillion content pixels, this high-resolution portrayal of Monet’s work gives guests the opportunity to become one with his paintings.
The show, which features the works of French Impressionist painter Claude Monet, opens from March 15 through June 16, 2024 in the NoCo Center, a former First Baptist Church auditorium at 712 N. Hogan St. in downtown Jacksonville. It's the same venue that housed "Beyond Van Gogh" and "Beyond King Tut" shows over the past two years.
The Monet show uses projection technology to bring more than 400 of Monet's most famous paintings to life, including his famed Water Lilies series.
Guests will walk through an introduction hall to learn about Monet's past. The main feature of the show will be the Infinity Room, where hidden projectors will cast moving images of his famous works on the walls, floors and visitors in a 35-minute loop. The show features an original score and took more than 10,000 man-hours to compile. It's produced by the Paquin Group, the same firm that created the Van Gogh and King Tut shows.
Claude Monet was a trailblazing artist whose contributions broke boundaries and changed the art world forever. He’s credited as being the “Father of Impressionism”, but how did a grocer’s son with humble beginnings become one of the world’s most iconic artists?
THE EARLY LIFE OF CLAUDE MONET
Monet’s artistic journey began in Le Havre at the age of 15. He received formal training at the Académie Suisse and made money on the side selling caricatures of his classmates and friends. These drawings built his confidence as a young artist and played an important role in his rise to notoriety amongst locals - including Eugene Boudin, who would go on to become Monet’s mentor.
WHEN DID IMPRESSIONISM BEGIN?
Fast forward to 1872 when Monet painted “Impression, Sunrise”, the masterpiece that would inspire the artistic movement of the same name. The term “Impressionism” came from satirical journalist Louis Leroy, who was appalled at the painting and thought of it as nothing more than paint smeared onto canvas - an “impression” of a legitimate work of art. Monet and his contemporaries took Leroy’s tongue-in-cheek “Impressionist” label and ran with it, embracing it as a fitting label for their innovative approach to art.
Claude Monet’s impact on the art world is immeasurable and his journey from caricatures to artistic immortality is a testament to the power of passion, creativity, and drive.