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Rare works from France arrive in Barnard Castle for a landmark exhibition exploring light, landscape and place.
Images from The Bowes Museum
Impressions Of Light: Masterpieces at The Bowes Museum, in partnership with From MuMa Le Havre, brings more than 60 works to Barnard Castle, tracing the development of landscape painting from the early 19th century through to Impressionism and beyond.
Created in partnership with France’s Musée d’art moderne André Malraux (MuMa), the exhibition features works by artists including Claude Monet, Eugène Boudin, Gustave Courbet, Camille Pissarro and Raoul Dufy, with several paintings being shown in the UK for the first time.
Presented alongside The Bowes Museum’s own collection, until 14th March 2027, the exhibition explores how artists moved away from traditional subjects and began focusing on everyday landscapes, experimenting with colour, light and atmosphere to capture the world around them. Across five themed sections, visitors can follow this shift from rural scenes and dramatic coastlines to ports, towns and industrial landscapes.
The exhibition also highlights the long-standing links between The Bowes Museum and France. Founders Joséphine and John Bowes were closely connected to the French art world, with regular links to Le Havre, widely recognised as the birthplace of Impressionism.
While centred on French painting, many of the landscapes on display draw striking comparisons with the coastlines, countryside and industrial heritage of County Durham.
