Renoir’s masterpiece La Loge goes on display at Ulster Museum

Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s masterpiece La Loge has gone on display at Ulster Museum, Belfast, for the first time as part of a new exhibition – Renoir and the New Era: Impressionist works from The Courtauld.

The exhibition, which opens today (11 Dec) until 11 April 2021, features a series of Impressionist works from The Courtauld’s collection with La Loge (1874) as its centrepiece. Renoir and the New Era looks specifically at the 1874 ‘First Impressionist Exhibition’ that featured La Loge and how the painting itself, and the Impressionist movement, represented the emergence of democracy within culture and a new era of thought around art, politics and representation.

Accompanying works on paper by Berthe Morisot, Édouard Manet and Camille Pissarro, also from The Courtauld’s collection, raise the subjects of the portrayal of women in Impressionism, new approaches to drawing the figure, and depicting daily life.

Renoir and the New Era is part of an ongoing collaboration with the Ulster Museum through the Courtauld National Partners Programme, which aims to share The Courtauld’s collection with audiences across the UK, especially in areas where Courtaulds Ltd. once had a significant industrial presence. In Northern Ireland, its major factory opened in Carrickfergus in 1951 and at its height employed two thousand people. The exhibition is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Anna Liesching, Curator of Art at National Museums NI, said: ‘This is a fantastic opportunity for everyone to experience works from a hugely important movement in art.  The exhibition explores Impressionism in the late 1800s, redefining their position as agitators and anarchists against the ‘established’ art system of the time. The works, encapsulating the dynamism of a uniquely significant period in art, are curated to start conversations and encourage exploration around the impact of Impressionism on modern art and our current visual culture.’

Katherine Dunleavy, National Programme Coordinator at The Courtauld, said: ‘We’re delighted that Renoir’s La Loge – a masterpiece from The Courtauld’s collection – will be displayed at Ulster Museum for the first time, and that visitors will have the chance to experience it alongside a remarkable collection of prints and drawings by other leading Impressionists. It is fantastic to continue our partnership with Ulster Museum through the Courtauld National Partnership Programme and to celebrate our shared heritage with Northern Ireland through the Courtauld textiles company with this exhibition.”

The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of online events and activities including a virtual talk on the exhibition and Renoir’s La Loge featuring Anna Liesching, Barnaby Wright, Deputy Head of The Courtauld Gallery and Karen Serres, Curator of Paintings at The Courtauld in January.

A smARTify tour of the exhibition is available to explore and a new podcast series – The Fine Print – is also available to listen on a range of podcast services now.

Tickets for Renoir and the New Era: Impressionist works from The Courtauld at Ulster Museum are free for everyone and can be booked online in advance.

Open Courtauld Hour

The Courtauld Research Forum will host a special Open Courtauld Hour episode exploring Radical printmaking on 4 February 2021 (8 – 9pm GMT).

This episode will celebrate the ways in which printmaking is radical and will delve into our impressionist print collection, explore how a political drive continues to permeate contemporary practice while also giving you the opportunity to get creative yourself and make your own radical prints!

We will be joined by Anna Liesching (Curator of Art, National Museums NI), Elaine Shemilt (Artist and Professor of Contemporary Art Practice at Duncan and Jordanstone College of Art and Design) and Nathan Crothers (Artist). Book free tickets

Renoir and the New Era: Impressionist works from The Courtauld

Ulster Museum, Belfast

11 Dec 2020 – 11 Apr 2021