Which Paris museum houses Claude Monet’s Water Lilies murals in two oval rooms?

The Musée de l’Orangerie houses Claude Monet’s Water Lilies murals in two oval rooms.

Monet’s large Water Lilies ensemble, known in French as Les Nymphéas, was installed in the Orangerie after the First World War. The museum’s specially designed oval rooms present the paintings as a continuous environment rather than as isolated framed pictures. Monet offered the works to France as a symbol of peace after the 1918 armistice.

The murals were designed for changing natural light, and their broad surfaces surround visitors with water, reflections, plants, and sky. Monet worked on the project for years, revising and enlarging his vision as his garden at Giverny developed.

The Orangerie is often confused with the Musée d’Orsay, which also owns important Monet paintings. The Orangerie is especially associated with the monumental Water Lilies installation, while the Musée d’Orsay holds many other Impressionist works and separate Monet canvases.