Claude Monet, "Bridge at Bougival"

Claude Monet, The Bridge at Bougival," 1869; Currier Museum of Art. 

It's always a shame when a beautiful work of art is randomly altered, but in this case it's particularly unfortunate, since Bridge at Bougival is one of Monet's most significant paintings. An article in the Concord Monitor about the painting's return to the Currier after a year on tour, passes along information from Andrew Spahr, the museum's director of collections and exhibitions:

The true importance of [the painting] has only been revealed in the last several decades [...] Scholars now recognize [it] as a turning point in Monet's early career, in which he begins to form a new style that would transform not only his working method, but the whole of western art.

The article goes on to say that art historian and Monet expert Paul Hayes Tucker, "calls the painting 'one of the great pictures,' and a real mark of Monet's achievement at that moment."

The purple version below is probably an altered photo of a modern reproduction. Why change the colors or tamper with the overall look of the painting? A good photo of the original is easily accessible at the museum's website. 

Altered version of a painting by Claude Monet.

THE ART DETECTIVE

Bloopers, Fakes & Mistakes

VISIT US ON FACEBOOK