those 'endless water lilies.' Today Monet's paintings of his water-lily pond in Giverny rank among the most famous works produced in the twentieth century. However, the artist became dissatisfied with his progress on them and cancelled a 1907 exhibition of these works. His dealer, Paul Durand-Ruel, had expressed concerns about their marketability and Monet, in the throes of insecurity, renounced the water-lily project "once and for all." A few months later, his wife Alice convinced him to go to Venice, where she was happy to see him work on motifs other than "endless water lilies." -- Monet exhibit at de Young museum San Francisco 2026