The green colour of the stairs, windows and shutters sometimes intrigues visitors to Claude Monet’s house in Giverny, Normandy. However, the painter loved contrasts and bold colours. His son-in-law, Jean-Pierre Hoschedé, confirms in his memoirs that the house, which was originally grey, was one day repainted in a fresh, frank green that the inhabitants of Giverny called “the Monet green”. When the gardens were restored 45 years ago, the curator Gérald Van der Kemp first chose a blue-green tone before finally adopting the solid green still used today.