Courtesy of Paquin Entertainment Group
Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience proved to be hugely popular after it made its way to St. Louis in October 2021, leading to the exhibition being extended on three separate occasions. Following the success of this exhibition, Beyond Monet: The Immersive Experience will soon emerge in its place, showcasing work from beloved impressionist Claude Monet.
Spanning 30,000 to 40,000 square feet, this immersive experience will feature 400 of Monet’s works with the goal of creating a harmony between 19th- and 20th-century works and 21st-century technologies. Art historian and curator Fanny Curtat played a key role as a consultant and member of the creative team in molding the exhibit.
“It’s really about having sort of the essence of Monet’s work–what’s important about his work, which pieces we choose, how we orient through his life and through his paintings–and what elements we put forth in order for an audience to be a part of and feel connected to his work and his life. It’s really about curating the whole journey of the experience,” Curtat says.
Viewers will be taken through three different rooms that all pertain to topics within Monet’s work. These rooms include the Garden Room, the Prism, and the Infinity Room. Patrons can expect to see notable works including "Impression, Sunrise," "Water Lilies," and "Woman with a Parasol (Madame Monet and Her Son)."
In contrast to Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, these paintings will be concentrated on the walls and ceilings, rather than the floor. The music featured will also differ from the previous exhibit, offering up sounds that are more contemporary in nature.
“We’re really having sort of a contemporary sound that also acts as a soundtrack from a movie, it helps you connect with the work and just insists on the fact that it is timeless,” Curtat says. “We don’t necessarily watch or look at a painting along with music that fits with this time period. It’s really about connecting all of these elements and helping connect a 21st-century audience to this 19th-century artist.”
This immersive experience acts as a destination for anyone, regardless of how familiar one is with Claude Monet or art in general. Rather than viewing these works in a museum, patrons have the unique and distinctive opportunity to step inside the works themselves.
“It’s really for everybody,” Curtat says. “You don’t need to know a lot about art. When you do, it’s great, because of the fantasy of going beyond the frame and inside the work itself. But when you don’t know a lot about him, some people may be intimidated by museums, so this is a great way to introduce them to the art world, have the work come towards them in a way, and really get this connection going.”
There is currently no set opening date for the exhibition, but more information and tickets will be available as plans progress on monetstlouis.com.
