Monet's Houses of Parliament
Monet came to London in the winters around 1900 to paint the Thames in fog. His views of the Houses of Parliament are among the best known results.
Looking for a painting that is not on this page? Search it by title. If it’s public domain, we paint it.
About the series
Claude Monet stayed in London in the autumn of 1899 and early in 1900 and 1901 and painted about a hundred views of the Thames. The Houses of Parliament are one of three main subjects, alongside Charing Cross Bridge and Waterloo Bridge. He painted Parliament from St Thomas' Hospital on the opposite bank and completed the canvases at Giverny over the following years.
Monet was drawn to London for its fog. In these paintings the towers of Westminster appear as a dark silhouette against an orange, violet or green sky, with sunlight breaking through the haze and reflected in the river. He exhibited 37 of his London paintings at the Durand-Ruel gallery in Paris in 1904. Versions of the Houses of Parliament hang in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, among others.
The canvases are close to square, so they work well as a single painting. A warm sunset view next to a cool foggy one makes a strong pair.
