Pierre-Auguste Renoir, La Loge (Theatre Box), 1874, © The Samuel Courtauld Trust, the Courtauld Gallery, London
If you love French Impressionism, reports Judith Schrut, don’t miss the National Gallery’s new show.
Have you seen this magnificent painting? It’s on display as part of Courtauld Impressionists: From Manet to Cézanne at the National Gallery. This new exhibition showcases 40 Impressionist masterpieces, most of which are on loan from the Courtauld Gallery, which is currently closed as part of a major transformation.
The show traces the groundbreaking development of modern French painting from the 1860s to the turn of the 20th century. It’s arranged in 12 sections, each devoted to a different key artist, including Manet, Renoir, Cézanne, Seurat, Bonnard and Toulouse-Lautrec.
There are so many unmissable gems in this outstanding display. Amongst my personal favourites are Renoir’s La Loge (pictured above), Cézanne’s The Card Players, Toulouse-Lautrec’s Jane Avril in the Entrance to the Moulin Rouge and Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère.
Samuel Courtauld (1876-1947) was a textile magnate, philanthropist and serious collector of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. His family, of Huguenot origin, had settled in London at the end of the 17th century as part of a community of French silversmiths and silk weavers. Courtauld passionately believed that ‘unfettered imagination, human emotion, and spiritual aspiration go into the creation of all great works and a share of the same qualities is needed for the reading of them.’ On seeing a painting by Cézanne he recalled, ‘At that moment I felt the magic’. His generous support for the arts and massive gifts of artworks to British galleries has had a huge and lasting influence on the UK public’s interest in Impressionism.
Georges Seurat, Bathers at Asnières, 1884, bought by Courtauld Fund 1924, ©The National Gallery, London
Courtauld Impressionists: From Manet to Cézanne runs until 20 January 2019 at the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN. Museum admission free. Exhibition tickets £7.50. Find out more at nationalgallery.org.uk.
