Impressionists in London, French Artists in Exile (1870-1904)

Tate Britain, Linbury Galleries
2 November 2017 – 7 May 2018

 

This autumn, Tate Britain will bring together over 100 beautiful works by Monet, Tissot, Pissarro and others in the first large-scale exhibition to chart the stories of French artists who sought refuge in Britain during the Franco-Prussian War. The EY Exhibition: Impressionists in London, French Artists in Exile (1870-1904) will map the artistic networks they built in Britain, consider the aesthetic impact London had on the artists’ work, and present instantly recognisable views of the city as seen through French eyes.

Claude Monet (1840 – 1926) Leicester Square 1901 Oil paint on canvas 805 x 648 mm Coll. Fondation Jean et Suzanne Planque (in deposit at Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence) Photo: © Luc Chessex

The EY Exhibition: Impressionists in London will look at French painters’ keen observations of British culture and social life, which were notably different to the café culture found in Paris.

Camille Pissarro (1830 – 1903) Saint Anne’s Church at Kew, London 1892 Oil paint on canvas 548 x 460 mm Private collection

 

Camille Pissarro (1830 – 1903)
Kew Green
1892
Oil paint on canvas
460 x 550 mm
Musee d’Orsay (Paris, France)

Evocative depictions of figures enjoying London parks such as Pissarro’s Kew Green 1892 will be shown, that were in stark contrast to formal French gardens where walking on the grass was prohibited.


Scenes of regattas fringed with bunting as painted by Alfred Sisley and

James Tissot (1836-1902) The Ball on Shipboard c.1874 Oil paint on canvas 1012 x 1476 x 115 mm Tate. Presented by the Trustees of the Chantrey Bequest 1937

James Tissot in The Ball on Shipboard c.1874 will also be shown, demonstrating how British social codes and traditions captured the imagination of the Impressionists at the time.

While in London, French artists gravitated towards notable figures who would help them develop their careers and provide them with financial support. The exhibition will look at the mentorship Monet received from Charles-François Daubigny and consider the significant role of opera singer and art patron Jean-Baptiste Faure – works that he owned including

Sisley’s Molesey Weir, Hampton Court, Morning 1874 will be displayed. One of the most influential figures to be celebrated will be art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, who first met Monet and Pissarro in London during their exile in 1870-71. Durand-Ruel purchased over 5000 Impressionist works over his lifetime which, in Monet’s own words, saved them from starving.

Part of the exhibition will examine the central role of Alphonse Legros in French émigré networks. As Professor of Fine Art at the Slade School in London from 1876 to 1893, he made a dynamic impact on British art education both as a painter and etcher, and exerted a decisive influence on the representation of peasant life as can be seen in  

The Tinker 1874.

He introduced his patrons Constantine Alexander Ionides and George Howard, 9th Earl of Carlisle, to sculptor Aimé-Jules Dalou who then, together with fellow sculptor and émigré Edouard Lantéri, shaped British institutions by changing the way modelling was taught. Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux’s sojourns in London, which he initially planned in order to stay close to his great patron, the exiled Emperor Napoleon III, will also be examined.

 

Camille Pissarro (1830 – 1903), Charing Cross Bridge, 1890. Oil paint on canvas, 600 x 924 mm. National Gallery of Art (Washington, USA)

The final and largest section of the exhibition will be dedicated to representations of the Thames. 

 Claude Monet The Houses of Parliament Sunset

The Houses of Parliament With the Sun 1904 

 

 

Houses of Parliament, Effect of Sunlight in the Fog, 1904 

 Claude Monet  Houses of Parliament at Sunset, 1903 

Claude Monet (1840-1926) Houses of Parliament, Sunlight Effect 1903 Oil paint on canvas 813 x 921 mm Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York

Claude Monet The Houses of Parliament (Effect of Fog) 

 

 

Claude Monet Houses of Parliament, London, Sun Breaking Through, 1904 

 

  Claude Monet Houses of Parliament, Fog Effect

Claude Monet Houses of Parliament, London 1905 (50 Kb); Oil on canvas, 81 x 92 cm (31 7/8 x 36 1/4 in); Musee Marmottan, Paris

 

Claude Monet, Houses of Parliament, Sunlight Effect, 1903

Featuring a group of Monet’s Houses of Parliament series, this room will examine how depictions of the Thames and London developed into a key theme in French art.

A selection of André Derain’s paintings of London landmarks, which answer directly to Monet’s, will demonstrate the continuity of this motif in art history.  The show will conclude with the Entente Cordiale – a formal pact of peace and unity between Britain and France – which, in the case of Monet in particular, coincided with the culmination of an artistic project which started in 1870.

The EY Exhibition: Impressionists in London, French Artists in Exile (1870-1904) will be curated by Dr Caroline Corbeau-Parsons in collaboration with the Petit Palais and Paris Musées. The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue and a programme of talks and events in the gallery.