If there aren’t the funds in the piggy bank to travel to Europe right now, art fans can get a fix of French Impressionism much closer to home at the National Gallery of Victoria.
If you’re enchanted by Monet’s dapple of light on water or Renoir’s summer gardens, you’re in for a treat. French Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston brings together over 100 luminous works from some of the most beloved names in art including Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degas, Sisley, Van Gogh and Pissarro.
All the artworks come from Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, one of the first American institutions to seriously invest in Impressionism. Many of the paintings originally hung in the drawing rooms and salons of Boston’s wealthy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries – collectors who admired the freshness and modernity of this new French style.
The story of Impressionism
The exhibition is arranged into 10 themed sections that take you through the evolution of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. It’s the story of how these artists broke away from the traditional rules of painting, taking their easels outdoors and embracing fleeting moments: light reflecting on a river; a crowded boulevard; friends picnicking.
Quite literally, their art showed their feelings and ‘impressions’ of what they saw, rather than what they could see with their eyes. Their brushstrokes became looser, their colours more vibrant, often depicting scenes of modern life, landscapes, and everyday activities, rather than the historical or mythological subjects that had come before.
Claude Monet, the master
One of the show’s highlights is an entire room dedicated to Claude Monet, featuring 16 of his works spanning three decades. From early riverside scenes at Argenteuil to his dreamy garden views at Giverny, you can see his obsession with light and shifting atmosphere evolve over time.
It’s important to see female painters of the time like Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot included in the exhibition. Both artists focussed often on domestic scenes, providing a nuanced perspective on the roles and experiences of women during their time. Morisot was the only female founding member of the French Impressionist movement in 1874 and often exhibited alongside Monet, Degas, Pissarro and Renoir – making her a pioneer for her gender.
Photo: Sean Fennessy.
Be transported to the past
The exhibition design adds to the magic – it draws from the grandeur of those old Boston interiors while also nodding to the more intimate spaces these artists painted and lived in. At times, I felt transported, as if standing in a Paris salon or gazing out a window in Normandy.
Whether you’re a long-time fan or just dipping a toe into the world of Impressionism, this exhibition is a gorgeous way to spend a few hours.
‘French Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’
National Gallery of Victoria
Until 5 October, 2025
ngv.vic.gov.au
