Monet's garden at Giverny : Rescue and restoration

When Gérald Van der Kemp arrived at Giverny in1977, he was greeted by a desolate prospect of dead trees, muddy quagmires and tangled thickets ofbrambles and weeds. Monet’s sadly neglected house and garden, bequeathed by his son Michel Monet to the Académie des Beaux-Arts, offered a challenge to which Gérald Van der Kemp, formerly the chief curator of the Palace of Versailles, was to prove more than equal. With the aid of head gardener Gilbert Vahé, he replaced the dead trees, cleared the overgrown flowerbeds, rebuilt the Japanese bridge and widened the paths, ready to welcome thevisitors who now flock to Monet’s garden. With itsplanting schemes planned with reference to archivedocuments and Monet’s own correspondence withhis plant suppliers, the garden at Giverny now onceagain offers continuous displays of flowers fromApril to November.Richly illustrated with photographs, contemporaryimages, paintings and archive documents, this book traces the remarkable story of the gardens that inspired Monet and his water lily paintings, and of the second lease of life that has been granted to them. It bears witness to the skills, imagination and dedication of a remarkable project lasting over forty years that has re-created the unique settings that inspired Monet’s paintings.