Claude Monet visited Venice for the first and only time in the autumn of 1908. Initially he was reluctant to paint it. The city had been documented by artists for centuries. And he feared it was “too beautiful.” Still, he was struck by the fading brilliance of summer, the shifting atmosphere, and the interplay of ancient architecture rising above trembling waterways. As in his other landmark series, Monet focused on light and its changing effects at different times of day. He produced 37 works, from the Doge’s Palace to Palazzo Dario and San Giorgio Maggiore. This exhibition brings together 19 of them, the largest show devoted to Monet’s Venice in more than 25 years. —Elena Clavarino