Nigel Ip

When one thinks of great feats of curating, one almost always gravitates towards the big blockbusters in equally large institutions. Yet, the Courtauld’s praiseworthy ability to consistently create historic moments in their two-room exhibitions cannot be stressed heavily enough. Memorable ones in my experience have been Vincent van Gogh’s self-portraits and Frank Auerbach’s charcoal heads. Monet and London is no exception, one that brings to fruition an artist’s unrealised dream.

Over three extended visits to London between 1889 and 1901, Claude Monet painted over a hundred canvases of the Thames from his rooms at the Savoy Hotel. These depicted Charing Cross Bridge, London Bridge, and the Houses of Parliament, which he worked up into finished works in his studio at Giverny. 37 were debuted in 1904 in the Paris gallery of his dealer Paul Durand-Ruel. However, Monet had also intended for the exhibition to travel to London in 1905; regrettably, plans fell through and it never happened.

120 years later, the Courtauld has reunited 18 of the Thames views from the original Paris exhibition, just 300 metres away from where they were initially painted. These have been supplemented with three other works in the corpus that weren’t part of his initial selection, allowing visitors to better appreciate the variety and scale of his approach to London’s unique environment.

I don’t say this often, but I can totally envision the sights and sensations of the scenes Monet managed to capture at different times of the day. Foggy London occasionally has exceptionally beautiful lighting that diffuses nicely through the clouds and mist.

Monet’s colour palette changes so rapidly between each variation. Some are murky grey with areas of mustard yellow; some practically ablaze with reflections of a fiery sunset; and others luminescent on a clear sunny day so the water shimmers like gemstones. The smoke from the passing Thames barges also gave Monet additional moments of visual interest, although there were likely a great deal more of them on the river in his day.

There’s not a great deal to unpack here. Just a great set of 21 related paintings coming out in full force. The loans have come in from all parts of the world, and it is astonishing only two of them are in UK collections, both depicting Charing Cross Bridge; both were absent from the 1904 exhibition. What an absolute treat to be in their presence.

The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Monet and London. Views of the Thames (27 September 2024 – 19 January 2025) was at the Courtauld Gallery, London, https://courtauld.ac.uk/