Impressionist views of the river Thames are reunited in the city that inspired them
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The Courtauld Gallery brings together more than 20 of Claude Monet’s atmospheric views of the river Thames for their first-ever display in London, realizing a cherished ambition of the founding father of impressionism.
Monet made successive visits to London in the winters of 1899, 1900 and 1901, returning each time to a balcony at The Savoy hotel that overlooked the river. Captivated by the London fog, he eventually produced close to 100 paintings of Charing Cross Bridge, Waterloo Bridge and the Houses of Parliament in the ever-shifting light conditions.
The artist selected 37 canvases for an acclaimed exhibition of the Thames series in Paris in 1904, but his plan to bring the works to London the following year fell through. At The Courtauld Gallery, steps away from The Savoy, “Monet and London. Views of the Thames” now recreates this extraordinary display in the city that inspired it.
Claude Monet, “London, Parliament. Sunlight in the fog,” 1904, Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Photo: Grand Palais RMN (Musée d’Orsay), Hervé Lewandowski
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