Monet’s Thames Series: Painting Modernity at The Turn of the Twentieth Century

Autumn term
Tuesday 1 October – Tuesday 3 December 2024, 19:00
On campus
OR
Wednesday 9 October – Wednesday 11 December 2024, 20:00 [London time]
Online
£195

Our autumn term of Showcasing Art History coincides with, and explores topics suggested by, The Courtauld Gallery’s ambitious exhibition Monet in London. Views of the Thames (27 September 24 – 19 January 2025). The exhibition will fulfil Monet’s unrealised plan for a London show of his remarkable serial paintings of major landmarks along the Thames – Charing Cross Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, the Houses of Parliament – painted during three separate stays in the British capital and first shown at a landmark display in Paris in 1904.

Marking the anniversary of this unveiling, the exhibition Monet and London. Views of the Thames at The Courtauld brings together the largest group of these seminal works since they were last together 120 years ago. By focusing solely on works included in the inaugural display, the exhibition seeks to give visitors, for the very first time, the experience Monet himself curated for his public in Paris and introduces us to an important but little-known facet of creativity: the artist as curator of his own work.

The Showcasing Art History lectures will complement the exhibition by exploring a range of subjects that will enrich our wider understanding of Monet’s work, of Impressionism, and of the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century art world. These include the wider context of French émigré artists and community in late nineteenth-century London; the idea of London in contemporary literature and art as well as the reality of the city’s modern building projects, industrialisation, and pollution; the appeal of London’s architecture and of the river Thames for the artistic imagination; and the influence of Monet and Impressionism on artists in Britain and further afield, including the USA.

Our speakers: Dr Karen Serres (The Courtauld); Professor Aviva Burnstock (The Courtauld); Dr Nick Freeman (Loughborough University); Dr Lois Oliver (University of Notre Dame, (USA) in England; Boston University (London)); Professor Richard Thomson (University of Edinburgh); Professor Frances Fowle (University of Edinburgh); MaryAnne Stevens (independent curator and scholar); Dr Patricia de Montfort (University of Glasgow); Dr Frances Varley (The Courtauld).

Moderator: Anne Puetz (The Courtauld).

Course delivery details

This programme is delivered both on campus and online.

On-campus course delivery: lectures take place at our Vernon Square campus at 19:00, followed by discussion and drinks.  Pre-course and further reading, and handout materials are available on our Virtual Learning Environment.

Online course delivery: this online lecture series consists of pre-recorded lectures, released weekly over 10 weeks, and each lecture viewable for a fortnight; pre-course and further reading, handout materials and a discussion forum are available on our Virtual Learning Environment; live discussions of each lecture take place via Zoom on Wednesdays at 20:00 [London time].