Monet at the Grand Palais

It is easy to understand why the the Monet exhibition was already packed at 9:30 am on New Years Day - immediately after you want into the first room of his early works. It is difficult to imagine a time when this artist was unpopular and struggling to pay his bills. Much of his early life with his first wife was spent literally in debt and moving from one place to another based on cheaper living expenses. Granted this guy had a taste for good living and pretty much spent any money that he earned. Later - life would turn good for the artist and make him fairly rich. It wasn't an easy life and he certain painted a lot of works - usually in series of 20 or more.