Renoir in Guernsey, 1883

Renoir in Guernsey, 1883

In summer 2023, the musée des impressionnismes Giverny organized, in partnership with Guernsey Museums & Galleries and the Art for Guernsey association, an exhibition celebrating the 140th anniversary of Renoir’s stay in the Channel Island.

In September 1883, Pierre-Auguste Renoir stayed in Guernsey for just over a month. During this period, he executed about fifteen paintings, often from his vacation spot in Moulin-Huet. Fundamental in his production of landscapes, the series of views of Guernsey also attests to his constant research on the human figure and its integration into the natural environment. Fascinated by the crystal-clear waters and the steep topography of the island, but also by the mores of the inhabitants who bathed freely in the rocks, Renoir developed a new style with English freedom as a source of amusement and inspiration. The exhibition brought together a significant set of works by Renoir related to this stay, as well as engravings, photographs and documents recreating the atmosphere of the island at that time.

The Collection

In parallel with the exhibition-file Renoir in Guernsey, 1883, the artworks presented gave pride of place to the sea: the seascapes of Eugène Boudin, Paul Signac, Jean Francis Auburtin came to decline the colors of the water and sky in response to Renoir’s compositions. The summer exhibition is, as always, an opportunity to discover the latest additions to the collection, which continues to grow thanks to donations, deposits and acquisitions: La Poissonnerie de Trouville by Eugène Boudin (1875, donation by Christophe Karvelis Senn), Le Buste d’Edgar Degas by Paul Paulin (1907, deposit of the Petit Palais – Museum of Fine Arts of the City of Paris), and Tea with garden of the American impressionist Mary C. Wheeler (1910, donation by the Wheeler family) were thus unveiled to the public.

Exhibition organized with of Art for Guernsey, in collaboration with Guernsey Museums & Galleries.

Opening times

Exhibition open from 14 July to 10 September 2023..

Patrons

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