Noémie Goudal at Pola Museum of Art

The New Vision: Monet and the Contemporary Gaze, Hakone, 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, Lucas Arruda, Félix González-Torres, Noémie Goudal, Roni Horn , Pierre Huyghe, Wolfgang Tillmans and others.

Noémie Goudal, Delta  II and III (2025) in The New Vision: Monet and the Contemporary Gaze, installation view, Pola Museum of Art, Hakone, Japan, 2026. © Noémie Goudal. Courtesy Noémie Goudal and Pola Museum of Art. Photo by Shu Nakagawa.