Noémie Goudal at Pola Museum of Art

The New Vision: Monet and the Contemporary Gaze, Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

Claude Monet (1840–1926), one of the masters of Impressionism, is represented in the Pola Museum of Art's collection by 19 oil paintings. This collection—the largest Monet collection in Asia—covers the full breadth of his career, from early works depicting the Seine River, Saint-Lazare Station, leisure destinations, and coastal scenes, to his celebrated series of London, Venice, and Water Lilies paintings.

To mark the 100th anniversary of Monet's death and the museum's 25th anniversary, all 19 paintings will be exhibited together for the first time.

Monet possessed what his contemporary Paul Cézanne described as an extraordinary "eye." He was a pioneer who presented a radically new vision of beauty that departed from artistic traditions of his time. Today, a century later, his paintings continue to shine with increasing brilliance. What is the secret of their enduring and elusive appeal?

Through the perspectives of 18 contemporary artists from Japan and around the world, this exhibition reconsiders the act of "seeing"—the fundamental way in which we engage with the world—and opens new horizons for understanding Monet.

Featured Artists
Claude Monet
Émile Gallé
Georges Seurat
Lucas Arruda
Allora & Calzadilla
Félix González-Torres
Noémie Goudal
Roni Horn
Pierre Huyghe
Yojiro Imasaka
Amar Kanwar
Kapwani Kiwanga
Nile Koetting
Daniel Steegmann Mangrané
Ritsue Mishima
Fujiko Nakaya
Hinako Omori
Tao Nguyen Phan
Susan Philipsz
Wolfgang Tillmans
Su-Mei Tse
and others

Asia's Largest Monet Collection on Display

The Pola Museum's 19 Monet paintings are among the finest and most comprehensive collections in Japan and Asia. Visitors can trace Monet's artistic development from realistic works of 1872 through to the luminous paintings of 1908, where light, colour, and subject merge together.

A New Monet Experience

Rather than presenting contemporary artworks through conventional art-historical comparisons, the exhibition creates a "creative dialogue" between Monet and contemporary artists whose themes, methods, and concerns resonate with his work. These encounters offer fresh perspectives on Monet and challenge visitors' own ways of seeing.

A Large-Scale Exhibition Extending Beyond the Galleries

The exhibition extends from indoor galleries into the museum's surrounding forest landscape. Works include:

Large-scale fog sculptures

• Immersive video installations
• Glass sculptures
• Sound installations
• Performances
• Outdoor artworks

Several artists will be introduced in Japan for the first time, and new works inspired by Monet have been specially commissioned.

First Presentation of Newly Acquired Works

The museum will debut recent acquisitions, including works by:

• Félix González-Torres
• Roni Horn
• Su-Mei Tse

These contemporary works are presented alongside Monet's paintings to reveal resonances across time.

Monet's The Water-Lily Pond × Noémie Goudal

Monet's famous garden at Giverny was in fact an artificial creation that he carefully designed himself. Through paintings of this idealized landscape, he explored light, reflections, and nature's transformations.

Similarly, French artist Noémie Goudal creates artificial landscapes and records them through photography and film. Her recent "Delta" series reconstructs prehistoric Carboniferous ecosystems from 300 million years ago, presenting impossible landscapes that blur the boundaries between reality and fiction.

Monet's Sunset on the Seine in Winter × Félix González-Torres

Painted after the death of Monet's beloved wife Camille, this work depicts the frozen Seine thawing under a pale winter sunset, expressing profound grief and loss.

González-Torres similarly addresses absence and memory through installations made from everyday materials such as candy and light bulbs. Although their methods differ, both artists transform loss into enduring works of art.

Monet's Flowering Embankment at Argenteuil × Tao Nguyen Phan

Monet contrasts nature with the signs of industrialisation along the Seine.

Vietnamese artist Tao Nguyen Phan explores colonialism, industrialisation, ecological destruction, and environmental change through poetic narratives. Both artists reveal tensions between nature and human progress.

Monet × Su-Mei Tse

Su-Mei Tse's video installations use reflected and inverted landscapes projected onto crystal spheres, questioning perception and historical memory. For this exhibition she is creating a new work inspired by locations closely associated with Monet, including:

• Saint-Lazare Station
• Étretat
• Rouen Cathedral
• Giverny
• Bordighera

Noémie Goudal, Delta III, 2025. Inkjet print on photographic paper, 140 x 207 cm. © Noémie Goudal.  Courtesy the artist and Edel Assanti. Photo by Tom Carter.