Haystacks, midday

In 1890, Monet purchased his home at Giverny, where he began the celebrated Haystacks series. These stacks of wheat, tightly thatched for protection against the weather, stood in a field behind the artist’s house at Giverny, a village 60 kilometres from central Paris. From the late summer of 1890 until winter 1891, Claude Monet painted these haystacks at least 25 times. It was the changing effects of light, rather than the stacks themselves, that fascinated him. He faced a dilemma: the more he focused on fleeting atmospheric effects, the longer and more involved his painting process became. 

The presentation of Haystacks, midday has coincided with Discovering the Impressionists, which brings together seven paintings by Claude Monet. Together, these eight works have made Geelong home to the largest concentration of Monet’s work currently on show anywhere in Australia.

Claude Monet’s Haystacks, midday is on display in Claude Monet and Australian Impressionism until Sunday 25 October 2026. Entry is free.

This work of art is on long term loan from the National Gallery of Australia with support from the Australian Government as part of Sharing the National Collection.