The Courtauld Gallery presents the first-ever exhibition devoted to the seascapes of French painter Georges Seurat (1859-1891) from 13 February to 17 May 2026.
The first UK exhibition devoted to Seurat in almost 30 years, The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Seurat and the Sea brings together the largest group of these works ever assembled, 26 in total, offering a detailed look at a significant part of Seurat’s production.
Seurat is best known for developing a radical new technique of painting with dots of pure colour, which gave birth to Neo-Impressionism. This exhibition charts the evolution of Seurat’s highly original and distinctive style through the recurring motif of the sea, reuniting for the first time a major group of 26 works — paintings, oil sketches and drawings — created over five summer trips to the northern coast of France between 1885 and 1890. A particular highlight is the presentation of the complete series of paintings made in Port-en-Bessin in 1888 and Gravelines in 1890.
Due to his early death at the age of 31, Seurat has a very small body of works and exhibitions devoted to him are rare. Over the course of his short career, he produced more views of the Channel coast than any other type of picture. Working along the coast, in Grandcamp, Honfleur, Port-en-Bessin, Le Crotoy, and Gravelines, Seurat captured views out to sea as well as of harbours and ports. They show a different side to an artist better known for paintings of leisure in Paris and its suburbs. In contrast, these quiet and contemplative seascapes are an exploration of light in open spaces often devoid of people. They represented for Seurat a return to nature that enabled him to develop his technique. He sought, in his words:
'to cleanse one's eyes of the days spent in the studio [in Paris] and translate in the most faithful manner the bright light, in all its nuances'Georges Seurat
This exhibition includes loans from major private collections and public institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia; the Baltimore Museum of Art; the Indianapolis Museum of Art; the Minneapolis Institute of Art; the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City; the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; the Musée d’Orsay, Paris; the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Tournai; the Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo; the National Gallery, Prague; Tate, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the National Gallery, London.
Due to unprecedented demand, the Courtauld has extended its opening hours on every Friday evening until 20:00 throughout the run of The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Seurat and the Sea, to ensure visitors do not miss out. Late night opening tickets are now on sale to Courtauld Members from Friday 13 February, 10:00 and to the public on Monday 16 February, 10:00.
There will be two relaxed exhibition openings on Wednesday 8 April and Tuesday 5 May 2026 between 10:00 and 10:30. Our relaxed openings provide a quieter moment to enjoy the exhibition, with additional support and facilities from our friendly team.
The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Seurat and the Sea follows major Impressionist exhibitions at the Courtauld Gallery, including The Morgan Stanley Exhibition: Van Gogh. Self-Portraits and, most recently, The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Monet and London. Views of the Thames, which was seen by a record 120,000 visitors.
The exhibition is accompanied by a beautifully illustrated catalogue, showcasing the results of research on Seurat’s seascapes and their importance in his ouvre, which is now available to buy online and in-store.
The exhibition’s Title Supporter is Griffin Catalyst, the civic engagement initiative of Citadel Founder and CEO Kenneth C. Griffin.
