A view of the monastery island of San Giorgio, painted from the south-eastern end of Venice. On the right are faintly visible the dome of Santa Maria della Salute and the mouth of the Grand Canal. Every evening in late November 1908, Monet and his wife made gondola trips to enjoy 'these splendid sunsets which are unique in the world'. Venice, he claimed, was too beautiful to paint. This work was purchased by Gwendoline Davies in 1912, directly from Monet's exhibition of his Venetian Scenes in Paris. Monet painted this view in series, and it may look familiar to fans of 1999 film The Thomas Crown Affair.