Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926) Water Lilies, ca. 1914-1917 Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926) was boundlessly inspired by the waterlily pond he created in his garden at Giverny. Throughout his last three decades of life he painted it repeatedly, attempting to capture the play of light and shadow in reflections of the flowering plant life that graced the water's surface. Monet's artistic focus resulted in a glorious body of work, represented here by this painting created when the artist was in his mid 70s.