The Stayton at Museum Way, Fort Worth’s premier retirement community, recently hosted a sneak peek of the Kimbell Art Museum’s groundbreaking exhibition Monet: The Early Years. Invited guests and residents were treated to a presentation and private conversation with Kimbell Art Museum Deputy Director George Shackelford, who identified and secured the artwork in the exhibit. He provided insight into why he selected certain pieces, where he found them and how he acquired them.

“I truly enjoyed sharing these incredible works with the residents at The Stayton,” remarked George Shackelford. “We’ve come upon so many paintings that are virtually unknown, like a brilliantly sunny painting of a hut perched above the sea. It's a composition that Monet loved, showing it four times in major exhibitions between 1868 and 1889. It was never once chosen by a curator for an exhibition in the 20th century; and in fact this is only the third time it has been lent. It has never even been to France, and of course this is the first time it has ever been shown in the United States. It's as if we had discovered a new painting—and a masterpiece, at that.”

“It was such a privilege to have George Shackelford at our community to share the story of how this amazing Monet exhibit came to fruition,” said Melissa Heiss, director of sales & marketing for The Stayton at Museum Way. “Residents and guests enjoyed hearing firsthand about George’s vision for the exhibition. It was fascinating to learn more about Monet and how his early works defined a 19th-century art movement that inspires us still today.”

This is the first time in The Stayton’s tenured relationship with the Kimbell Art Museum that the deputy director visited the community. The collaboration between the Kimbell Art Museum and The Stayton is an extension of the community’s Masterpiece Living® philosophy, which promotes successful aging by providing residents and invited guests opportunities to enhance their spiritual, intellectual, social and physical wellness—including exposure to astounding artists and noteworthy speakers. In addition to the Kimbell, the community occasionally brings in cultural events and performers from the Fort Worth Opera and The Cliburn.

Monet: The Early Years provides a stunning view into the formative years of the artist’s impactful career. The exhibition runs through January 29, 2017, and features approximately 60 paintings from the first phase of the artist's career, from his Normandy debut in 1858 until 1872, when he settled in Argenteuil on the River Seine near Paris.