Renoir in Guernsey, 1883

In summer 2023, the musée des impressionnismes Giverny is organizing, in partnership with Guernsey Museums & Galleries and the Art for Guernsey association, an exhibition celebrating the 140^th anniversary of Renoir’s stay in the Channel Island: Renoir in Guernsey, 1883.

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 will bring 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. They include Rocher de Guernesey avec personnages (Plage à Guernesey) from the Art for Guernsey collection, Baie du Moulin Huet à Guernesey from the National Gallery in London and Baigneuse assise sur un rocher from the Musée Marmottan Monet.

And after Giverny, the island of Guernsey is hosting the Renoir in Guernsey, 1883 exhibition from 30th September to 17th December 2023, at the Guernsey Museums & Galleries.