Monet on the Normandy Coast. The Discovery of Étretat

19 Mar 2026–5 July 2026
Exhibition Annex
Press Preview: Tuesday, 17 March 2026, 11.00 am

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Press release

Monet on the Normandy Coast.The Discovery of Étretat
19 MARCH – 5 JULY 2026
Exhibition Annex
Press Preview: Tuesday, 17 March 2026, 11.00 am

A coast becomes a myth: the cliffs of Étretat, located in Normandy on the Atlantic coast, captivated numerous artists in the 19th century. From 19 March to 5 July 2026, the Städel Museum will present a major exhibition dedicated to the artistic discovery of the former fishing village of Étretat and its influence on modern painting. Around 170 exceptional paintings, drawings, photographs and historical documents on loan from leading French, German and other international museums as well as several private collections will be on display in Frankfurt. Among them are no fewer than twenty-four works by Claude Monet.

Curators: Alexander Eiling (Head of Modern Art, Städel Museum), Eva Mongi-Vollmer (Curator, Städel Museum), Stéphane Paccoud (Chief Curator of 19th-Century Paintings and Sculptures, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon), Isolde Pludermacher (General Curator of Paintings, Musée d’Orsay, Paris)
Project Managers: Eva-Maria Höllerer (Curator, Städel Museum) and Nelly Janotka (Assistant Curator, Städel Museum)

Sponsored by: Fraport AG, Fontana Foundation, Städelscher Museums-Verein e. V.
Marketing and Media Partners: City of Frankfurt am Main – Department of Culture and Science, Alnatura Produktions- und Handels GmbH, Ströer Deutsche Städte Medien GmbH, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, arte

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Claude Monet
Étretat, the Needle and the Porte d’Aval, 1885
Oil on canvas
65,1 x 81,3 cm
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, acquired by Sterling und Francine Clark, 1933
Image © The Clark Art Institute

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Claude Monet, Étretat, the Needle and the Porte d’Aval, 1885

Claude Monet
Rough Sea at Étretat, 1883
Oil on canvas
81,4 x 100,4 cm
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon
Foto © Lyon MBA – Photo Martial Couderette

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Claude Monet, Rough Sea at Étretat 1883

Claude Monet
Etretat, The Cliff and the Porte d'Aval, 1885
Oil on canvas
65 x 81 cm
Image © Hasso Plattner Collection

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Claude Monet, Etretat, The Cliff and the Porte d'Aval, 1885

Claude Monet
Étretat. Étretat. The Manneporte, 1885/86
Oil on canvas
81,3 x 65,4 cm
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Bequest of Lillie P. Bliss, 1931
© bpk | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Claude Monet, Étretat. The Manneporte, 1885/86

Eugène Delacroix
Étretat, the Porte d’Aval, ca. 1840 or 1846
Pencil, watercolour and gouache on paper
15 x 20 cm
Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris, legs Michel Monet, 1966. Inv. 5034
© Musée Marmottan Monet

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Eugène Delacroix, Étretat, the Porte d’Aval, ca. 1840 or 1846

Eugène Le Poittevin
Hauling a Boat, Memories of Étretat Beach, 1856
Oil on canvas
70,1 x 116,4 cm
Private Collection
Image © Ader, Paris

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Eugène Le Poittevin, Hauling a Boat, Memories of Étretat Beach, 1856

Alphonse Davanne
N° 12 – Étretat, the Manneporte, ca. 1862
Albumen print from a glass negative, 23.7 x 30.2 cm (print), 44 x 53,5 cm (plate)
Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, Département des Estampes et de la Photographie
Image © Bibliothèque nationale de France

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Alphonse Davanne, N° 12 – Étretat, the Manneporte, ca. 1862

Eugène Le Poittevin
Sea Bathing in Étretat, 1866
Oil on canvas
66,5 x 152 cm
Musée des Beaux-Arts et d’Archéologie, Troyes
Image © Carole Bell, Ville de Troyes

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Eugène Le Poittevin, Sea Bathing in Étretat 1866

Claude Monet
The Luncheon, 1868-1869
Oil on canvas
231,5 x 151,5 cm
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Property of Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.

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Claude Monet, The Luncheon, 1868-1869

Gustave Courbet
The Wave, 1869
Oil on canvas
65,6 x 92,4 cm
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Property of Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.

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Gustave Courbet, The Wave, 1869

Gustave Courbet
Étretat, the Cliff and the Porte d’Aval, ca. 1869-1870
Oil on canvas
66 x 82 cm
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Nationalgalerie
© bpk / Nationalgalerie, SMB / Jörg P. Anders

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Gustave Courbet, Étretat, the Cliff and the Porte d’Aval, ca. 1869-1870

Claude Monet
Rough Sea, 1881
Oil on canvas
60 x 73,7 cm
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
Image © MBAC

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Claude Monet, Rough Sea, 1881

Gustave Caillebotte
Man in a Smock, known as Old Magloire on the Chemin de Saint-Clair at Étretat, 1884
Oil on canvas
65 x 54 cm
Private Collection
© Bridgeman Images

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Gustave Caillebotte, Man in a Smock, known as Old Magloire on the Chemin de Saint-Clair at Étretat, 1884

Jean Francis Auburtin
The roadstead of Étretat with view of the Chambre des Demoiselles, ca. 1898/99
Gouache on paper
51 x 67,5 cm
Private Collection
Image © Lyon MBA - Photo Alberto Ricci

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Jean Francis Auburtin, The roadstead of Étretat with view of the Chambre des Demoiselles, ca. 1898/99

Félix Vallotton
14 July in Étretat, 1899
Oil on cardboard
47 x 60 cm
Private Collection
Image © Fondation Félix Vallotton, Lausanne

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Félix Vallotton, 14 July in Étretat, 1899

Anonymous
Painter on the Beach at Étretat, ca. 1900
Silver bromide gelatin print from a glass negative, 16.7 x 21.8 cm (copy), 21.2 x 27.4 cm (backing paper)
Collection Pascal Servain, Fécamp
Image © Collection Pascal Servain

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Anonymous, Painter on the Beach at Étretat, ca. 1900

Henri Matisse
Étretat, the Laundresses, 1920
Oil on canvas
54 x 65,4 cm
The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Image © The Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

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Henri Matisse, Étretat, the Laundresses, 1920

Elger Esser
The Manneporte, 2000
Chromogenic print under framed Diasec, limited edition 7/7
129,3 x 183 cm
Private Collection
Image © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2025

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Elger Esser, The Manneporte 2000

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Elisabeth Pallentin

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pallentin@staedelmuseum.de

Carolin Fuhr

Press and Online Communication Officer
(Head of department on parental leave cover)
fuhr@staedelmuseum.de
+49(0)69-605098-234

Theresa Franke

Press and Online Communication Officer
franke@staedelmuseum.de
+49(0)69-605098-160

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17 Mar. 2026, 11.00 am

Press Preview „Monet on the Normandy Coast. The Discovery of Étretat“

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Monet on the Normandy Coast. The Discovery of Étretat