Though Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919) is famous mainly for being one of the leading exponents of Impressionism, this phase in his career was actually rather brief. A trip to Italy sparked a creative revolution that led him to look to the past to paint in a powerful Neo-Renaissance style, developing a “modern Classicism” that heralded the “return to order” that would characterise art between the two world wars. The exhibition centres on this second phase in his career, placing his works face to face with others by Italian artists such as Marino Marini, Carlo Carrà, Giorgio de Chirico, Filippo de Pisis and many more.

A Great Classic, Beyond ImpressionismRenoir’s (1841–1919) trip to Italy in 1881 and 1882 proved to be a turning point in his career. After Carpaccio and Tiepolo’s Venice, an all-important destination was Rome, where Renoir was overwhelmed by the intensity of the Mediterranean light and developed a passion for the Renaissance masters (Raphael above all). Before ending in Palermo, his tour led him to the Gulf of Naples: here, Renoir discovered the wall paintings at Pompeii and was mesmerised by the masterpieces of ancient art on display at the archaeological museum. These experiences heralded a creative revolution culminating in the artist’s abandonment of the Impressionist technique and poetics. Impervious to the prevailing trends, Renoir looked to the past to develop a Neo-Renaissance style of painting that many saw, superficially, as a decline after the Impressionist grandeur. Instead, as revealed by the title of this exhibition, it was the dawn of a new Classicism.