Profile of the Day: Claude Monet

Do you have French ancestry? On this day in 1840, French Impressionist painter Claude Monet was born in Paris, France. A leading figure of the Impressionist movement, Monet’s work transformed French painting in the late 19th century.

Image: Claude Monet / Wikimedia Commons

He was born Oscar Claude Monet on November 14, 1840 to Claude Adolphe Monet and Louise Justine Aubrée. As a child, Monet was known locally for sketching charcoal caricatures and often drew members of his town’s community.

A prolific painter, Monet’s work often illustrated ordinary subject matters and nature, including his well-known series of haystacks and waterlilies. In 1872, he painted Impression, Sunrise. The famous piece would become known for giving rise to the name of the Impressionist movement.

Monet died on December 5, 1926 at the age of 86. Today he is remembered as one of the most influential painters in history.

Do you have a favorite painting?

Explore Claude Monet’s family tree on Geni and share how you’re related to the French painter.

View Claude Monet’s Geni Profile