Impressionists in London review – how not to tell the origin story of modern art

Tate Britain, London
This pea souper of a show nearly achieves the impossible feat of making Monet seem dull, while illuminating little about British links to impressionism

This exhibition turns art history on its head. For more than a century it has been assumed that modern art began in Paris. We’ve heard so much about how the bohemian atmosphere of the French capital, with its druggy poets and dirty novels, inspired the impressionists.

Now Tate Britain shows that it was the smog of Victorian London and not the lights of Paris that inspired Claude Monet and his contemporaries. In a very important sense, the most French of all art movements turns out to be British.

Related: Pissarro in Norwood, Monet at the Savoy: what the exiled impressionists saw in London

Continue reading...
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on October 29, 2017 17:01
No comments have been added yet.


Jonathan Jones's Blog

Jonathan Jones
Jonathan Jones isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but they do have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from their feed.
Follow Jonathan Jones's blog with rss.