France is the cradle of Impressionism. However, Claude Monet, the father of the movement, had a special love for England, and painted the Thames multiple times. These works will be displayed in English capital for the first time in the exhibition, Monet and London. Views of the Thames.
Monet began his 37 paintings of London's famous river over three visits from 1899 to 1901. Where most Londoners found the city's fog oppressive, Monet marveled at it, saying: "London is more interesting that it is harder to paint... the fog assumes all sorts of colors; there are black, brown, yellow, green, purple fogs and the interest in painting is to get the objects seen through all these fogs." Peering through the haze, Monet painted silhouettes of Charing Cross Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, and the House of Parliament. It was this same fog that, according to the Courtauld Gallery, allowed the master to produce "extraordinary views of the Thames as it had never been seen before, full of evocative atmosphere, mysterious light and radiant color."
Monet finished his Thames paintings in Giverny, in northern France. He exhibited them in Paris in 1904, and although, he deeply wanted to show them in London, he believed the works were not yet ready, and his plans fell through.
This September, the Courtauld Institute of Art will fulfill Monet's dream, and display 21 of his Thames paintings just 300 meters away from the Savoy Hotel, where 18 of them were begun (the other three were begun later in France). Brought together for the first time since their inaugural exhibition 120 years ago, the paintings will allow visitors to see "the show Monet curated and the works he felt best represented his ambitious artistic enterprise."
Monet and London. Views of the Thames will be on display at the Courtauld Gallery from September 27, 2024 to January 19, 2025.
