A Fresh Look At Water Lilies

August 22, 2011

I will never be able to look at water lilies the same way, that is after viewing Monet’s Water Lilies at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art recently. Granted, the Kansas City gallery is fortunate to house one of the triptychs by Claude Monet as part of their regular museum collection. However, for the first time in 30 years, all three panels were brought together for a limited time to be viewed as a single piece as the artist intended. Kansas City was the first stop for this special traveling exhibit; the triptychs now travel to the other two museums which house their respective panels. The exhibit will be at the Saint Louis Art Museum next, followed by the Cleveland Museum of Art. Hence, it will be January 2012 before Kansas City will again be able to enjoy its own Water Lilies panel at the Nelson-Atkins.

If you missed the display, however, don't be discouraged. MCPL has a variety of artistic reference materials highlighting an array of Impressionist artists, in both adult and juvenile non-fiction. These items can satisfy your artistic appetite in lieu of viewing the real thing. If you have young children, I would recommend James Mayhew's books about Katie and her adventures into the world of art. I assure you, if you decide to visit our local museum, you won’t be disappointed; even minus the Water Lilies, it is a spectacular place.

Ann R. 
North Oak Branch