Monet’s ‘Argenteuil Basin with a Single Sailboat’.
The only Monet in the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland was deliberately damaged by a visitor today. Claude Monet’s Argenteuil Basin with a Single Sailboat, painted in 1874, was attacked by a man visiting the gallery in Dublin today. The motive for the attack is unknown. The man, in his 40’s, was taken away by ambulance and later arrested. He is now being questioned by gardai.
The extent of the damage is not yet clear. The painting, which was bequeathed to the gallery in 1924, was taken away for assessment by the conservation team. Light and its effect on the surface of the Seine is the subject matter of this painting. Monet moved to Argenteuil with his family in 1871 after returning from London to France. He was joined there in the following years by Sisley, Renoir, and Pissarro. Monet had a boat, in effect a floating studio. A spokeswoman for the gallery described the event as “most regrettable”.