Last Updated on September 25, 2024
Tickets are selling fast for The Courtauld Gallery’s major exhibition The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Monet and London. Views of the Thames, opening on 27 September 2024, bringing together for the first time in 120 years Claude Monet’s extraordinary series of paintings of the Thames in London.
Begun during three stays in the capital between 1899 and 1901, these extraordinary paintings of the Houses of Parliament, Charing Cross Bridge and Waterloo Bridge were unveiled in Paris in 1904 to great critical acclaim. Monet fervently wanted to show them in London the following year, but plans fell through. The Courtauld will realise Monet’s unfulfilled ambition of exhibiting this exceptional series just 300 metres from the Savoy Hotel where the artist stayed and many of the works were painted.
“More than any other Impressionist artist, Monet was very attentive to how his works were displayed,” Dr Karen Serres, Senior Curator of Paintings at The Courtauld, and curator of the exhibition, said. “With his series paintings, he created a whole visual experience from multiple canvases of a same subject, what we would call today ‘an installation’. The Courtauld exhibition presents Monet’s paintings as he wanted them to be seen.”
The exhibition has attracted the biggest advance ticket sales in The Courtauld Gallery’s history and visitors are urged to book now to avoid disappointment and long queues. Due to the unprecedented demand, The Courtauld has extended its opening hours on four dates throughout the run to ensure visitors don’t miss out.
The exhibition will be open from 10am – 9pm on the following dates: 25 October; 22 November; 13 December and 10 January 2025.
Tickets for the extended hours slots are available to book on The Courtauld’s website.
Additional to the extended opening hours, the Gallery will also continue to host its popular “The Courtauld Lates: Monet and London” on the opening Friday (27 September) and last Friday (17 January 2025) of the exhibition so visitors can experience the exhibition after-hours, and enjoy live DJ’s, Courtauld Cocktails and more. The Courtauld Lates are open from 18:30 – 22:30. Online tickets have now sold out, and there will be limited walk-up tickets available on the evening.
On 16 October (6 – 9pm), “After Hours with The Courtauld Research Forum” will celebrate the research generated by The Courtauld Institute of Art and the event is another opportunity to delve deeper into the exhibition. The evening’s activities will provoke questions around themes of air pollution, arts ability to evoke positive change and ask what it means to be a Londoner in 2024. Tickets to be announced.
Courtauld Friends can enjoy the exhibition without the crowds at two exclusive early morning views on Saturday 30 November 2024 and Friday 10 January 2025, from 9 – 10am. Friends also get free unlimited entry to the exhibition and Courtauld Lates, access to sold out time slots, priority booking to selected events, advance notice of art history short courses, exclusive events, discounts and more. Join at courtauld.ac.uk/friends
Visitors to the exhibition will also be able to snap up Monet inspired merchandise from The Courtauld Shop. The full range is under wraps, but it includes earrings inspired by the sun rising and setting over the Thames, and a matchbox-sized watercolour set filled with the colours Monet used to create his iridescent paintings of the river.
The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Monet and London. Views of the Thames
Dates: 27 September 2024 – 19 January 2025
Location: The Courtauld Gallery; Somerset House, Strand; London WC2R 0RN
Opening hours: 10.00 – 18.00 (last entry 17.15)
Temporary Exhibition tickets (including entry to our Permanent Collection and displays) – Weekday tickets from £16; Weekend tickets from £18.
Friends and Under-18s go free. Other concessions available
The Courtauld Gallery will be open for late-night access until 22:30 on the first and last Friday of the exhibition as part of its Courtauld Lates series – giving visitors the chance to enjoy an evening of world-class art, cocktails and music surrounded by The Courtauld’s collection of masterpieces at Somerset House.
Book Now (27 Sept): courtauld.ac.uk/whats-on/the-courtauld-lates-monet-and-london/
Book Now (17 Jan 2025): courtauld.ac.uk/whats-on/the-courtauld-lates-monet-and-london-2/
