DETROIT, MICH.- The Detroit Institute of Arts welcomes one of Claude Monet’s most famous paintings as a “guest of honor” from Oct. 1, 2014 to Jan. 4, 2015. Waterlily Pond, Green Harmony is on loan to the DIA from the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The painting is one of hundreds Monet created of his flower garden and pond in Giverney, France, and these oil paintings continue to be some of his most popular and admired works.

Monet’s garden provided him with a much-needed intimate contact with nature and became the focus of his paintings from 1893 until his death in 1926. He painted several versions of the garden’s pond from the same viewpoint, but in differing light conditions, showcasing flowering plants, with the water visible through the leaves and flowers, and of the willows, reeds and other foliage around the pond. His garden was not meant to be viewed from a distance; Monet intended for visitors to be closely immersed in its sensory pleasures.

Waterlily Pond, Green Harmony shows Monet’s personal view of his garden. The Japanese bridge appears in the center of the painting and cuts the canvas in half. Above the bridge, he depicts the trees and other lush foliage in greens, gray-blue and pale yellows; in the lower half of the canvas, waterlilies are expressed in pale blues, greens and pinks.

The painting will be the only work on display in a gallery adjacent to Rivera court. The exhibit is free with museum admission.