Renoir & Love at the National Gallery: A Critic Finds Constraint, Not Romance
Scheduled to take place from 3 October 2026 to 31 January 2027 at the National Gallery, the exhibition 'Renoir & Love' prompts a reevaluation of its romantic narrative. The initial gallery features 'A Nymph by a Stream' (1869–70), which portrays Renoir's partner Lise Tréhot, who may be expecting their child, Jeanne, whom he discreetly supported. This exhibition emphasizes the limitations faced by women, exploring themes of societal norms and loss. Works such as 'The Promenade' (1870) and 'The Swing' (1876) convey feelings of hesitation and objectification, while 'Place Clichy' (circa 1880) and 'At the Milliner's' (1878) illustrate women's sense of isolation. A suggestion is made to rename the exhibit to 'Renoir & Women' for greater insight. Tickets cost £20 during off-peak times and £25 on peak days; entry is free for those under 18.
Key facts
- 'Renoir & Love' runs at the National Gallery from 3 October 2026 to 31 January 2027.
- The exhibition opens with 'A Nymph by a Stream' (1869–70), showing Lise Tréhot as a water nymph.
- Tréhot was Renoir's romantic partner and favourite model; they met when she was about 18 and he 25.
- Tréhot may have been pregnant with Pierre (died in infancy) or Jeanne; neither child was legally recognised by Renoir or raised by Tréhot.
- Renoir secretly supported Jeanne in the last decades of his life.
- Works discussed include 'The Promenade' (1870), 'The Swing' (1876), 'Young Women' (1875–9), 'Place Clichy' (about 1880), 'At the Milliner's' (1878) and 'The Great Bathers: A New Arcadia'.
- Standard admission is £20 off-peak (Sunday–Thursday) and £25 on Friday, Saturday and all days in the first two weeks; under-18s go free.
- The reviewer argues the show would have been more revealing if titled 'Renoir & Women' and taken a different stance.
Entities
Artists
- Pierre-Auguste Renoir
- Lise Tréhot
- Pierre Renoir
- Jeanne Renoir
- Chiara Di Stefano
- Christopher Riopelle
- Claude Monet
- Jean-Honoré Fragonard
- Antoine Watteau
- François Boucher
- Aline Charigot
Institutions
- National Gallery
- Musée d'Orsay
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Nationalmuseum, Stockholm
- Artlyst
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Paris
- France
- Boston
- United States
- Stockholm
- Sweden
- River Seine
- Bois de Boulogne
- Chatou
- Bougival