Monet and London : Views of the Thames

Fascinating exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery bringing together twenty one of Monet's paintings of the River Thames.

Monet had hoped that these works would be shown together in London  but a planned show for 1905 never happened. This show fulfils this wish just yards from the Savoy from which he made the sketches for two of the series.

The 21 works, brought together from around the world, were hung in the three series of Waterloo Bridge, Charing Cross Bridge and the Houses of Parliament. I was fascinated to see that he only did sketches in London and that all the finished works were done back in Giverny.

The commentary explained how Monet was captivated by the London fogs and the effect they had on light. Although you can view the pictures in any order I'd recommend going round in number order as the useful leaflet and labels do build a narrative.

These are stunning pictures on their own but benefit from seeing them as a group  to really see what Monet was trying to achieve.

Closes 19 January 2025


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