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Renoir in Guernsey

In September 1883, Pierre-Auguste Renoir stayed in Guernsey for just over a month. During this period, he executed about fifteen paintings, from his vacation spot, Moulin Huet.

Until September 10, the Museum of Impressionisms in Giverny presents, in collaboration with Art for Guernsey and Guernsey Museum & Galleries, an exhibition commemorating the 140th anniversary of the painter's stay in the Channel Island.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919). Plage à Guernesey, 1883 © Art for Guernsey
Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Plage à Guernesey, 1883 © Art for Guernsey

In September 1883, Pierre-Auguste Renoir arrived in Guernsey for a stay of five

weeks. He is accompanied by his companion and future wife, Aline Charigot and a

group of friends including the journalist Paul Lhote. The painter was then at a turning point in his career. Years later, he confided to Ambroise Vollard that he had the feeling of having reached the end of Impressionism, and of not knowing how to paint or draw.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Baie du Moulin Huet Guernesey. 1883 © The National Gallery London.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Baie du Moulin Huet Guernesey. 1883 © The National Gallery London.

The natural beauties of Guernsey – its light, its rocky coast, its crystal clear waters –

amuse and inspire him. He undertakes and completes a few canvases during his stay, but above all develops a large number of studies which he will use once he returns to Paris.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Baigneuse assise sur un rocher. 1883 © Musée Marmottan-Monet
Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Baigneuse assise sur un rocher. 1883 © Musée Marmottan-Monet

Two months after his return from Guernsey, Pierre-Auguste Renoir left in December 1883 with his friend Claude Monet for the French and Italian Rivieras to discover another light and other colors there.


99, rue Claude Monet

27620 Giverny

France

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In his art history lectures, Fabrice Roy combines the past with the present, in a poetic and playful evocation of the French 19th century...




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