Bidspirit auction | MONET CLAUDE: (1840-1926) ´....apart from

MONET CLAUDE: (1840-1926) ´....apart from painting, I am the laziest man....´ - MONET CLAUDE: (1840-1926) French Impressionist painter. A.L.S., Claude Monet , three pages, 8vo, Giverny par Vernon, Eure, 9th March 1920, to a friend ( ´Mon cher ami´ ), in French. Monet writes in bold pencil and offers his apologies to his correspondent for not having replied to their kind letter, ´mais hors la peinture, je suis l´homme le plus paresseux lorsqu´il s´agit d´écrire´ (Translation: ´but apart from painting, I am the laziest man when it comes to writing´ ), continuing to remark ´Bref, j´ai été très heureux de pouvoir rendre un service aux exposants du salon d´automne et suis très sensible à votre remerciement ainsi qu´à celui qui m´adressé d´autre part´ (Translation: ´ In short, I was very happy to be able to do the exhibitors at the Salon d’Automne a favour and am very touched by your thanks, as well as those sent to me from elsewhere´ ) and further adding ´Pour ce qui est de l´honneur que vous voulez bien me faire comme vous en doutiez bien je le décline.....j´ai peu de goût pour cela et tiens à rester tranquille dans mon coin´ (Translation: ´As for the honour you wish to bestow upon me, as you no doubt suspected, I must decline it.....I have little taste for such things and wish to remain quietly in my own corner´ ). About EX In March 1920, Claude Monet was seventy-nine years old and living quietly at Giverny , where he devoted most of his time to his vast Water Lilies paintings. Although he was suffering from worsening cataracts and declining health, he continued to work intensely on the monumental Nymphéas panels that he hoped to donate to the French state as a symbol of peace after World War I . At the same time, Monet remained an enormously influential figure in the Paris art world, using his reputation to support fellow artists and causes connected with the Salon d'Automne . His late work during this period reflected both personal isolation and a broader desire for healing and renewal in postwar France.