The Riviera & the South Collection: Claude Monet Oil Painting Reproductions

Twenty-two paintings from Monet's southern campaigns: palms, olives, pines and old hill towns under a Mediterranean light that behaved nothing like the light of Normandy. This is Monet at his brightest and least earthbound, working with pink, turquoise and pale gold.

Bordighera, Dolceacqua, Antibes

Monet travelled along the coast with Renoir in December 1883, then went back alone the following month and stayed at Bordighera from January to April 1884, deliberately working without company. The subjects were the exotic gardens of the town, the twisted olives, the dense screens of palm, and inland the village of Dolceacqua with its high arched bridge and ruined castle. In 1888 he worked at Antibes and Cap Martin, painting umbrella pines leaning over the water with the fortified town and the snow on the Alps beyond.

He found the place genuinely difficult, and said so in his letters home. The colour of the south is intense but the tonal contrasts are weak: everything is bright, the shadows are full of reflected blue, and the palette he had built for grey northern weather was no use. The pictures that came out of these months are among the most brilliantly coloured of his career, and they were an important step towards the freedom of the series paintings that followed at the end of the decade.

Hand-painted oil reproductions, made to order

Each work is available as a hand-painted oil reproduction, painted in real oils on artist-grade cotton canvas by a senior studio painter rather than printed, or as a lower-priced archival canvas print. Choose the size and orientation, and finish rolled, stretched, or framed in a thin or a thick moulding. Every piece is made to order and hand inspected, with free worldwide shipping and a 30-day return guarantee.

Which room this collection suits

These are the pictures to reach for when a room needs lifting. The high-key blues, pinks and greens throw light back into a space, which makes them a good answer for a north-facing room or a wall that never catches the sun. They sit well on white, chalk, pale sand and soft terracotta, and they can look thin against very dark walls, where the pale sky loses its meaning. Living rooms, garden rooms and bedrooms suit them; large sizes carry the colour best.

Frequently asked questions

When did Monet paint in the south?

Chiefly on two campaigns: Bordighera and Dolceacqua from January to April 1884, following a short trip along the coast with Renoir in December 1883, and Antibes and Cap Martin in 1888.

Which subjects are in this collection?

Palms and gardens at Bordighera, the bridge and castle at Dolceacqua, the bay and pines at Antibes, and coastal views around Cap Martin. Between them they cover the full southern palette, from olive silver to full Mediterranean blue.

Is the hand-painted oil better for these?

For large sizes, yes. The hand-painted version is brushed in real oils by a studio painter, and the broken strokes of pink and blue that make up the southern light hold together better with real texture behind them. The archival print remains a sound lower-priced choice for smaller canvases.

How large should I go?

Bigger than you think. These are open, airy compositions with few incidents, and they need room; a canvas of a metre or more across a living room wall reads as a window. Check the wall measurements in our size guide first.