Monet's Masterpieces: Explore the Stunning new London Monet exhibition 2024
This new boutique exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery offers an extraordinary opportunity to explore the greatest impressionists work of London.
The new Monet exhibition at The Courtauld Gallery offers a fresh perspective on London. It’s capturing the city through the eyes of a foreigner whose fascination with its iconic landmarks shaped some of his most epic landscapes.
Though a Parisian at heart, Monet was drawn repeatedly to London’s fog-drenched views of Charing Cross, Waterloo, and the Houses of Parliament. These scenes, rendered in his signature Impressionist style, reveal a side of London rarely seen—an ethereal, almost dreamlike vision of the city, bathed in soft light and mist.
The exhibition is a significant restaging of the successful 1904 exhibition that first introduced Londoners to Monet’s mesmerizing depictions of their city to which critics responded “Impressionism has finally arrived”.
In 1904, Monet handpicked a selection of his London series - all of which take on their full meaning together, allowing admiration of the colourist and how they were fashioned.
Monet’s approach to these paintings was both obsessive and unconventional. During his time in London, he worked in a frenzy, creating upwards of 80 canvases, which he sent back to Paris for completion. Despite this hectic process, London remained a constant source of inspiration, its atmospheric beauty profoundly influencing his art.
This exhibition reveals how London’s ever-changing weather and timeless architecture provided the perfect motif for Monet’s evolving exploration of light and colour, creating a view of the city that is both foreign and familiar, timeless yet uniquely his own.
In 1904, Monet was already admired, but 30 years later, he is celebrated as one of France's greatest artists, solidifying his legacy as a master of Impressionism. This exhibition not only reconnects us with the original pieces that helped define his career but also provides a deeper understanding of his obsessive dedication to capturing London’s essence.
It’s a fitting return of Monet’s groundbreaking series to the city that inspired him, allowing modern audiences to experience these masterpieces once again in the same intimate setting making it a must-visit for art lovers in London.
Monet and London : Views of The Thames
The Courtauld, Somerset House, WC2.
On until 19 January 2025. Check out lates and concessions for under 25’s.