The Turkeys

The Turkeys at Montgeron is the only painting I know in which Claude Monet painted birds. It was planned and painted as part of a series of four decorative panels commissioned by his patron Ernest Hoschedé. Ernest Hoschedé was a wealthy department store magnate and art collector. 

The following year, the lives of Monet and Hoschedé would become very much intertwined because of Ernest's bankruptcy. Ernest's art collection (including Monet's paintings) was auctioned off and Ernest, Alice, and their children moved into a house in Vétheuil with Monet, Monet's first wife Camille, and their two sons. Alice Hoschedé eventually became Claude Monet's second wife after Camille's death in 1879 and Ernest's in 1891.

When the work was shown in the third Impressionist exhibition, the critical response was mixed. One critic urged the viewer to think of how well it would look in a lavishly furnished dining room, while others disparaged Monet's choice of subject as ridiculous.

Best wishes to all our American readers - have a really wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday! :)

- Zuzanna & The Team

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