Tue Sep 10 17:01:25 UTC 2024: ## “Impression, Sunrise” Makes US Debut in Exhibit Celebrating 150 Years of Impressionism

**Washington, D.C.** – The National Gallery of Art is hosting a landmark exhibition titled “Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment,” commemorating the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionist exhibition. The show, which previously debuted at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, features a collection of works that were originally displayed in the groundbreaking 1874 exhibition, including Claude Monet’s iconic “Impression, Sunrise.”

This marks the first time that “Impression, Sunrise,” the painting that gave the movement its name, has been displayed in the United States. The artwork, depicting the port of Le Havre, France, is characterized by its quick brushstrokes, hazy colors, and unconventional subject matter, all of which caused a stir in the art world at the time.

“It’s an industrial part of the port,” explains Sylvie Patry, curator of the exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay. “You can see a chimney with the smoke. It’s very ordinary—something you generally hide.” The painting’s unfinished appearance, evident in the visible brushstrokes, further challenged the norms of traditional art.

The exhibition also showcases the tension between the groundbreaking work of the Impressionists and the conservative art establishment of the era. It contrasts the innovative paintings of Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Berthe Morisot with establishment-approved works of the time, such as Jean-Léon Gérôme’s “L’Eminence Grise.”

While the Impressionist exhibition of 1874 only saw four of its nearly 200 artworks sold, the movement’s legacy is now undeniable. “Impression, Sunrise,” which was initially dismissed by critics, is now worth hundreds of millions of dollars and is a symbol of artistic innovation and rebellion.

“If there’s one painting that is the absolute icon of this moment and show, it’s Claude Monet’s ‘Impression, Sunrise,'” says Kimberly Jones, curator of 19th-century French painting at the National Gallery of Art. “It’s the painting that gave the movement its name.”

“Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment” is on view at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. through January 19, 2025.

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