A native of Normandy, Monet returned to paint the region’s coastline throughout his career. In 1882 he spent six months there, along the English Channel, where this lonely house perched on a cliff caught his fancy. Built as lookout posts for customs agents during the Napoleonic Wars, such structures were commonly used in the late nineteenth century as sheds for fishermen to store their nets. Monet turned out fourteen views of this particular shed during his stay. He later recalled: ‘I felt the need … to undertake excursions for weeks at a time to Normandy, Brittany, and elsewhere. It was a period of relaxation and rejuvenation for me.’
Claude Monet
French 1840–1926
Fisherman’s Cottage on the Cliffs at Varengeville 1882 (detail)
oil on canvas
60.6 x 81.6 cm
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Bequest of Anna Perkins Rogers (21.1331)
© 2025 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Reproduced with permission. All Rights Reserved.
