"The delicate problem is restoring a sense of historical truth to the place to better convey a deeper understanding of who Monet really was. I don’t want it to become Disneyland. We’re not going to put in things that did not exist."

Said Alain-Charles Perrot, director of the Maison et Jardins de Claude Monet, quoted in "For the love of Monet: record crowds threaten impressionist’s centenary/In Giverny, up to a million visitors are expected this year but can the village balance the artist’s legacy with the pressures from mass tourism?" (London Times).

Giverny, now with its bus parks and columns of art pilgrims flowing over Monet’s green Japanese bridge, became the epicentre of the modern mania for impressionism soon after la Maison Monet was opened to the public in 1980. A recent social media-era surge was compounded when Emily strolled... over the water lily bridge... the Netflix series Emily in Paris.

Critics are often rude about the “Monetisation” of the art world, referring to its merchandise, immersive shows and the way the impressionists as a brand have eclipsed that of other art movements. “Claude Monet has become the sacred and milk cow of the art world,” Marianne magazine noted.