Monet caught in U.S.-France tussle

The latest casualty of Franco-American tension is an exhibition of paintings by French Impressionist Claude Monet.

Two years in the works, the exhibition “Monet in Normandy” -- consisting of 50 works by Monet, 20 paintings by his contemporaries, and vintage photographs by other artists who worked in Normandy during the late 19th century -- was scheduled to make a three-month appearance at the Orlando Museum of Art in Florida in early 2005. But as U.S. relations with France have soured, the process of securing the French government’s approval for loans of the artworks has slowed so drastically that the Orlando museum has put the show on hold. Museum officials now expect the exhibition to be delayed for several years, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

The museum referred questions about the issue to a spokeswoman, who did not return calls from The Times. The local newspaper reports that the museum’s French partner, the Musee des Beaux-Arts in Caen, continues to cooperate with the Orlando museum but cannot go forward without governmental approval. Budgeted at $4.2 million, the exhibition was expected to have an economic impact of about $20 million in central Florida.

-- Suzanne Muchnic