The Lightbox Gallery and Museum

8 February - 20 April 2014

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) first came to the attention of British art collectors in 1874 when two of his paintings were shown at an exhibition in London - the same year six of his works featured in the first Impressionist exhibition in Paris. Since that date, Renoir has become one of the most internationally acclaimed artists whose paintings, sculptures and drawings are coveted by collectors in the UK and the world-over. Between the 8 February and 20 April 2014, The Lightbox will be offering a one-time chance to appreciate the people and the stories behind how such great Impressionist Art came to be in British galleries.

The Impressionist Movement

Renoir began his career as a painter of porcelain in Limoges, aged 13, before studying with Sisley and Monet at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. His early work sat between austere academic painting and freer, more colourful en plein air ('open-air') work, which developed over time into the style that became known as Impressionism. Alongside his contemporaries Monet and Cezanne, Renoir was at the forefront of this movement which broke with the traditional rules of painting - capturing immediately light hearted moments with soft-feathered brushstrokes and vivid colour.

The Story of Renoir in Britain

This unique exhibition has taken five years to come to fruition and will have two main themes. Firstly the diverse body of Renoir's work will be represented chronologically, featuring pieces from every decade, from the mid-late 1860s to 1919. Secondly, the exhibition will tell the story of how and why the work came to Britain, tracing when the work was brought to the UK and by whom.

Outside of France, Britain holds one of the most important collections of Renoir works in the world. A significant number of these works will be brought together for this exhibition, drawn from places such as The National Gallery, Tate, The Victoria and Albert Museum and many major regional galleries. The story of how the pieces came to be in British collections is an interesting one, with many pieces collected by connoisseurs such as the Welsh Davies sisters, who bequeathed their collection to the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff.

'Renoir in Britain' will show the accomplished variety of his art, featuring paintings, watercolours, drawings, sculptures and prints. The exhibition will cover Renoir's wide range of subject matter including portraits, nudes, landscapes and still life, with all works drawn from British collections. The exhibition will also feature unique photographs of London exhibitions in the 1880s and letters, never before seen in the UK, sourced from Paris archives, and correspondence between Renoir and his London dealer Paul Durand-Ruel.

The curator of the exhibition is Michael Regan, Associate Curator at The Lightbox. He commented that, "The exhibition not only presents a unique opportunity for visitors to see, under one roof, what are regarded as some of Renoir's most quintessential works, but also tells the fascinating story of how they came to be in British art collections".

Highlights of this exhibition will include:

A Bather, (1885-90), from the National Gallery - This painting is a fine example of a series of nudes painted by Renoir in the late 1880s and 1890s which resulted from a visit to Italy that stimulated the artist's interest in subjects inspired by classical antiquity, rather than taken from contemporary life.

Lakeside Landscapes, (1889), from the National Gallery - This painting depicts a landscape near Annecy (in the Haute-Savoie region of France). Renoir's lush brushworks, used to depict the dense and rich foliage, are reminiscent of the works of Cezanne whom Renoir visited towards the end of the 1880s.

Portrait of Willhelm Muhlfeld, (1910), from the Southampton City Art Gallery - This painting is often described as a masterpiece of Renoir's maturity, fully revealing his exceptional skill as a sensitive portraitist. The painting belongs to a tradition of portraits by Impressionists such as Dagas and Manet of their intellectual contemporaries; in this case the sitter was a renowned oboist and composer.

The Lightbox is the first regional gallery to bring together a cohesive representation of the work of Renoir held in British collections, offering a one-time chance to appreciate the people and the stories behind how such great Impressionist Art came to be in British galleries.

The exhibition includes loans from: The National Gallery, The Victoria and Albert Museum, Tate, The Ashmolean Museum, The British Museum, Manchester City Art Gallery, The Higgins Art Gallery and Museum, Southampton City Art Gallery, The Fitzwilliam Museum, Museums Sheffield, Falmouth City Art Gallery and The New Art Gallery Walsall.

'Renoir in Britain' will be on show at The Lightbox from 8 February - 20 April 2014, entrance is free. For further information please visit www.thelightbox.org.uk

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Notes to Editor:

Contact Details: For all press enquiries and high resolution images please contact Pru Chambers, email: pru.chambers@thelightbox.org.uk, telephone: 01483 737810 or Merrin Kalinowski, email: merrin.kalinowski@thelightbox.org.uk, telephone: 01483 737819.

Visitor Information:

The Lightbox is situated in Woking (25 minutes from London Waterloo by train) open Tuesday - Saturday 10.30am - 5.00pm and Sunday 11.00am - 5.00pm. Entrance is free (donations welcome). For more information please visit www.thelightbox.org.uk or call 01483 737800. The Brewery Road public car park has now re-opened underneath the new WWF offices. For more information on Woking's Council-owned car parks, please visit www.woking.gov.uk

Accompanying Events:

A full and varied programme of events inspired by the exhibition will be taking place at The Lightbox including talks, tours and workshops. To find out more about the associated events please visit www.thelightbox.org.uk or call 01483 737800.

The Lightbox provides arts and heritage services to Woking Borough Council through a service level agreement.