Many books and articles have been written about the art movement known as Impressionism. There's a lot to say about the famous group of painters, and most of it can be very detailed.

If you haven't seen a painting by Claude Monet in person you almost certainly have seen a reproduction – on the internet, on advertising, just 'around'. In fact, here's one now:

The Water-Lily Pond

The Water-Lily Pond 1899

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

The National Gallery, London

But why is his work so famous? And why – around 150 years after the initial Impressionist works were created – do they remain so popular?

Impressionism was (to start with) a French art movement, and many works are still in France. However, there are great Impressionist works across the UK, and this article will show you some of them.

To begin, let's take a look at the name 'Impressionism'. Today, it seems innocuous – the paintings conjured up by the phrase are 'impressions' of the world, not an exact rendering. However, the term was first used to insult the artists. To understand why, we should transport ourselves back to France in the middle of the nineteenth century.

The French art world of the 1850s and 60s was tightly controlled by the Académie des Beaux-Arts. They saw their role as gatekeepers of standards and styles. It may be hard to grasp today, but they actually had a list of which types of paintings should be valued, and which should not. Top of the list was historical subjects, followed by religious themes and portraits. At the bottom end, they had decided landscapes and still life paintings were lesser works of art.

Furthermore, they liked paintings that looked realistic up close, neatly finished off so the brush strokes couldn't be seen, often with a limited colour palette. They had their favourite artists – the likes of Paul Delaroche, Jean-Léon Gérôme, William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Alexandre Cabanel. Their work looked like this:

The Draught Players

The Draught Players 1859

Jean-Léon Gérome (1824–1904)

The Wallace Collection

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey 1833

Paul Delaroche (1797–1856)

The National Gallery, London

Mary Victoria Leiter (1870–1906), Lady Curzon

Mary Victoria Leiter (1870–1906), Lady Curzon 1887

Alexandre Cabanel (1823–1889)

National Trust, Kedleston Hall and Eastern Museum

Charity

Charity (La famille indigente (The Indigent Family)) 1865

William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905)

Birmingham Museums Trust

The man who took over Delaroche's studio in the 1840s was Swiss academic artist Charles Gleyre. In the early 1860s, four of his students found they had a common interest in painting landscapes and contemporary scenes, rather than history and mythology. They were Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Frederic Bazille. The quartet also favoured painting en plein air – i.e. outside in nature, with natural light, rather than in the studio.

This practice had become more widespread during the nineteenth century, partly because of the relatively new invention of tubes for oil paints.

This simple technological breakthrough actually had a huge impact on the course of art history. Before the nineteenth century, artists generally mixed their paints from natural pigments they ground up themselves, and they generally had to do this in a studio setting. The first artists to use these new-fangled tubes of paint en plein air were the Barbizon School of artists in the 1830s (people like Charles-François Daubigny and Théodore Rousseau), who tried to depict how the light changed in different weather conditions. Their work looked like this:

Morning on the Oise, Auvers

Morning on the Oise, Auvers 1859

Charles-François Daubigny (1817–1878)

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Un marais dans les Landes, France

Un marais dans les Landes, France c.1853

Théodore Rousseau (1812–1867)

Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums

So when Monet, Renoir, Sisley and Bazille ventured into the countryside with their tubes of paint, they found they could paint the sunlight directly as it appeared in the outdoor air.

But in the nineteenth century, you couldn't find new artists on social media – they relied on getting their art into the public's consciousness through exhibitions. The most prestigious exhibitions were those staged by the Academie, and were known as 'salons'.

However, the kind of painting that Monet and the others were trying out so infuriated the Academie that they rejected all the paintings submitted to them in this new style. In fact, it got so bad that in 1863 two-thirds of the total paintings submitted were refused.

When the French emperor, Napoleon III, was made aware of the backlash, he demanded that the Academie exhibit the rejected works in another show, called a 'Salon des Refuses'. This featured works by Édouard Manet and James Abbott McNeill Whistler, and allowed the public to decide what they liked – although there were reports that many of the visitors came to laugh at the paintings on display.

The group struggled on, but 1870 saw the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War. Monet escaped to London, where he met up with fellow artists Camille Pissarro and Whistler, and admired the works of John Constable and J. M. W. Turner. Renoir stayed in Paris (although he was almost killed by the revolutionary Communards for being a spy, until one of the leaders recognised him). Sisley's father's silk business failed, and the artist was to live in poverty for the rest of his life. Worst of all, Bazille was killed in action – interestingly none of his works are in the UK today.

Following the war, the group continued to find their artworks rejected by the Salon (and were even refused another Salon des Refusés), so they teamed up with Pissarro, Paul Cézanne, Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas and several others to form their own anonymous group in December 1873. They called it the Société Anonyme Coopérative des Artistes Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs (Cooperative and Anonymous Association of Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers).

In April/May 1874 the artists decided to put on their own exhibition in a photographer's studio in Paris.

And this – at last – is where the word 'Impressionism' comes from – the title of one of Claude Monet's works in the show was Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise). The critic Louis Leroy used the painting's title to coin the negative term in a satirical review published in the Parisian newspaper Le Charivari.

There were eight Impressionist exhibitions in total, from 1874 to 1886.

The first exhibition was led by Monet, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro and Morisot. In total, 165 pieces of work by 30 artists were included. The second was in April 1876 and moved to three rooms in the Durand-Ruel Gallery. Only 20 artists took part but more works were shown – 252 pieces in total.

The third took place in April 1877, by which time the group had accepted the name 'Impressionists' for themselves. This exhibition presented 241 works by 18 painters and was led by Gustave Caillebotte, whose independent wealth came in handy! However, none of his works are in UK collections. Monet included his paintings of St Lazare train station, one of which is today in London's National Gallery.

The Gare St-Lazare

The Gare St-Lazare 1877

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

The National Gallery, London

The fourth exhibition, in April–May 1879, turned out to be extremely popular – 15,000 people saw the show, compared with just 4,000 who went to the first one. It lacked several notable names like Cézanne, Renoir, Morisot, Guillaumin and Sisley, but it was the first to show works by Paul Gauguin, Marie Bracquemond and the Italian Federico Zandomeneghi (although the latter two have no works in UK collections). Of the 16 artists who showed 246 works, only 14 were listed in the catalogue as Gauguin and Ludovic Piette (also nothing in the UK) were last-minute additions.

The fifth Impressionist exhibition took place in 1880 and displayed 232 artworks by 19 artists. However, you would not know this from the poster, on which the three women artists – Marie Bracquemond, Mary Cassatt, and Berthe Morisot – were not listed. To his credit, Degas was dismayed by this decision and complained (correctly) that it was 'idiotic'. Cassatt and Morisot had funded the exhibition, so were not keen to be named, and Bracquemond was a late addition, but it still looked pretty bad.

As well as this fiasco, the 1880 exhibition was the first in which Monet did not participate. He had managed to get one of his works accepted at the Salon, a small sign that Impressionism was becoming more accepted by the art establishment. The exhibition was also notable for displaying Gauguin's first sculpture, a marble bust of his wife Mette, now in the Courtauld, London.

Mette

Mette 1877

Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

By 1881, many of the 'big names' of Impressionism had stepped back from the exhibitions, and the sixth saw the primacy of Degas – he chose which artists were invited and set the overall vision, with a broader definition of 'Impressionism'. It was much smaller than previous exhibitions, with 13 artists displaying 170 works, back in the original location. The most notable piece was Degas' debut of his sculpture Little Dancer Aged Fourteen – this version in the Tate collection is a posthumous cast.

Little Dancer Aged Fourteen

Little Dancer Aged Fourteen 1880–1881 & cast c.1922

Edgar Degas (1834–1917) (posthumous cast)

Tate

The seventh Impressionist exhibition in March 1882 saw the return of Monet, Sisley and Caillebotte. However, Degas, Cassatt and Zandomeneghi (and others who had exhibited in previous shows such as Jean-François Raffaelli and Jean-Louis Forain) did not join, as artists were moving on to try other techniques. The exhibition included 203 works by just nine artists who were holding onto Impressionism, including Morisot, Renoir and Pissarro.

The eighth and final Impressionist exhibition took place in May–June 1886, with many of the artists who had exhibited in previous years – Degas, Cassatt, Zandomeneghi, ​Forain, Gauguin, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro and Marie Braquemond – all returning. The show featured 246 works by 17 artists, and for the first time included artworks by Pissarro's son Lucien, Georges Seurat and Paul Signac.

Looking back now, Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grande Jatte (original in The Art Institute of Chicago, but studies in both The National Gallery and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge) perhaps showed the beginnings of what was to be termed Post-Impressionism.

Study for 'La Grande Jatte'

Study for 'La Grande Jatte' 1884-5

Georges Seurat (1859–1891)

The National Gallery, London

Study for 'La Grande Jatte'

Study for 'La Grande Jatte' 1884-5

Georges Seurat (1859–1891)

The National Gallery, London

Study for 'A Sunday on the Island of La Grand Jatte': Couple Walking

Study for 'A Sunday on the Island of La Grand Jatte': Couple Walking

Georges Seurat (1859–1891)

The Fitzwilliam Museum

There were many artists featured in these exhibitions, and they all took place in Paris. Today – perhaps unsurprisingly – there are many Impressionist paintings still in France, and of course throughout the world's top galleries.

But where can you see some right here in the UK?

Of the initial quartet, there are works by Monet, Renoir and Sisley in UK collections. But remember there are no Bazille paintings – as he was killed in the Franco-Prussian War his output was limited and at the time he didn't gain the international fame of the artists who took part in the exhibitions. There's plenty to explore by other artists, including Pissarro, Degas, Cézanne, Morisot, Cassatt and more.

What follows is a handy guide showing you where you can see Impressionist works in the UK. This is not a comprehensive list of all the artists who participated in the eight Impressionist exhibitions, but it will help you find some works by some of the bigger names. If you want to find works by the likes of Guillaumin, Raffaelli and Forain, then you can explore our artist search. Also, check with the collection before going that the artwork you want to see is on display – some may be on loan or in storage.

Monet

There are 48 paintings by Monet in UK public collections. National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh has five, including an early work from around 1864 of a moonlit harbour and a later one of his famous haystacks.

A Seascape, Shipping by Moonlight

A Seascape, Shipping by Moonlight c.1864

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

National Galleries of Scotland

Grainstacks: Snow Effect

Grainstacks: Snow Effect 1891

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

National Galleries of Scotland

But the most northerly is this one in Aberdeen.

La falaise à Fécamp, France

La falaise à Fécamp, France 1881

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums

Glasgow's Kelvingrove has two.

Vétheuil

Vétheuil 1880

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

Glasgow Life Museums

View of Ventimiglia

View of Ventimiglia 1884

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

Glasgow Life Museums

Wales has many Monets, with nine in Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales alone. This is one of three Monet paintings of waterlilies purchased by Gwendoline Davies in Paris in 1913 and bequeathed to the museum in 1951.

Waterlilies

Waterlilies 1906

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Other gems in Cardiff include San Giorgio Maggiore by Twilight and Rouen Cathedral (one of a famous series of the same scene looking at light), both also purchased by Gwendoline Davies. Charing Cross Bridge was purchased by Gwendoline's sister Margaret.

San Giorgio Maggiore by Twilight

San Giorgio Maggiore by Twilight 1908

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Rouen Cathedral: Setting Sun (Symphony in Pink and Grey)

Rouen Cathedral: Setting Sun (Symphony in Pink and Grey) 1892–1894

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Charing Cross Bridge

Charing Cross Bridge 1902

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

This early work is also in Wales, in Swansea's Glynn Vivian Art Gallery.

Bateaux en Hollande, près de Zaandam

Bateaux en Hollande, près de Zaandam 1871

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

Glynn Vivian Art Gallery

Heading further south – in fact, the most southerly Monet in the UK is The Church at Vétheuil in Southampton City Art Gallery.

The Church at Vétheuil

The Church at Vétheuil 1880

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

Southampton City Art Gallery

Across England, there are various others. The Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, The Barber Institute in Birmingham, The New Art Gallery Walsall, Chartwell and the Ashmolean in Oxford all have one each.

Break-Up of the Ice on the Seine, near Bennecourt

Break-Up of the Ice on the Seine, near Bennecourt 1893

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

Walker Art Gallery

The Church at Varengeville

The Church at Varengeville 1882

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

Le chemin creux dans la falaise à Varengeville

Le chemin creux dans la falaise à Varengeville 1882

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

The New Art Gallery Walsall

Pont de Londres (Charing Cross Bridge, London)

Pont de Londres (Charing Cross Bridge, London) 1902

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

National Trust, Chartwell

A Mill near Zaandam

A Mill near Zaandam 1871

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

There are four in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, including Springtime.

Springtime

Springtime 1886

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

The Fitzwilliam Museum

London has perhaps the most – both The National Gallery and The Courtauld have multiple Monets: 14 and three respectively.

Snow Scene at Argenteuil

Snow Scene at Argenteuil 1875

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

The National Gallery, London

Autumn Effect at Argenteuil

Autumn Effect at Argenteuil 1873

Claude Monet (1840–1926)

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Finally, there are three Monets in the Tate collection.

Renoir

Moving on, there are 55 paintings by Renoir in UK public collections, and eight sculptures. There are five paintings at the Ashmolean in Oxford.

A Garden in Montmartre

A Garden in Montmartre 1890–1899

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

The Tate collection has three, all from slightly later in his career.

Peaches and Almonds (Pèches et amandes)

Peaches and Almonds (Pèches et amandes) 1901

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

Tate

There are four in Glasgow's Museums (which includes the three in the Kelvingrove).

Madame Valentine Fray (1870–1943)

Madame Valentine Fray (1870–1943) 1901

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

Glasgow Life Museums

And just the one in the National Galleries of Scotland.

A Woman Nursing a Child

A Woman Nursing a Child c.1894

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

National Galleries of Scotland

Although, again, the most northerly Renoir in the UK is in Aberdeen.

La Roche-Guyon, France

La Roche-Guyon, France 1885–1886

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums

The most southerly again appears to be in Southampton, where there are two Renoirs – a landscape and a portrait.

The Boat on the Lake

The Boat on the Lake 1901

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

Southampton City Art Gallery

Wilhelm Mühlfeld (1851–1912)

Wilhelm Mühlfeld (1851–1912) 1910

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

Southampton City Art Gallery

There are examples across the country with two in Manchester Art Gallery, two in Birmingham Museums Trust, and one each at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Sheffield Museums, The New Art Gallery Walsall and the Barber Institute.

Seated Nude

Seated Nude c.1897

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

Manchester Art Gallery

Still Life

Still Life c.1880

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

Birmingham Museums Trust

Cros de Cagnes, Mer, Montagnes

Cros de Cagnes, Mer, Montagnes c.1910

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

La rivière

La rivière

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

Sheffield Museums

Les oliviers à Cagnes-sur-Mer

Les oliviers à Cagnes-sur-Mer

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

The New Art Gallery Walsall

Young Woman Seated

Young Woman Seated c.1876–1877

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

There are three Renoirs in the National Museum Wales, including La Parisienne, which featured in the first Impressionist exhibition of 1874.

La Parisienne

La Parisienne 1874

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

London's National Gallery holds ten, including the famous work The Umbrellas.

The Umbrellas

The Umbrellas about 1881-6

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

The National Gallery, London

And the Courtauld has four paintings.

Theatre Box (La Loge)

Theatre Box (La Loge) 1874

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

But the gallery with the most Renoirs in the UK is the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge with a whopping thirteen!

The Gust of Wind

The Gust of Wind c.1872

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

The Fitzwilliam Museum

Since this article was first published in April 2023, one more Renoir has found its way into a UK public collection. Excitingly, Ulster Museum acquired Renoir's L'allée au bois (The Woodland Path) in 2023, and – perhaps more incredibly – it's the first and only painting by one of the original Impressionists held in a Northern Irish collection. It was painted in a wood near Paris around 1874–1880.

L’allée au bois (The Woodland Path)

L’allée au bois (The Woodland Path) 1874–1880

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)

National Museums NI

Sisley

There are 33 paintings by Sisley in UK public collections. Starting furthest north, there are three works in Aberdeen.

La petite place, la rue du village

La petite place, la rue du village 1874

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums

Still in Scotland, Edinburgh has two, both in the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland.

Molesey Weir, Hampton Court

Molesey Weir, Hampton Court 1874

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

National Galleries of Scotland

The Seine at Suresnes

The Seine at Suresnes 1880

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

National Galleries of Scotland

On the west coast, Glasgow has five, with four works at Glasgow Museums (including The Burrell and the Kelvingrove), as well as one at the Hunterian, University of Glasgow.

The Bell Tower at Noisy-le-Roi, Autumn

The Bell Tower at Noisy-le-Roi, Autumn 1874

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

Glasgow Life Museums

Village Street, Moret-sur-Loing

Village Street, Moret-sur-Loing c.1894

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

Glasgow Life Museums

Boatyard at Saint-Mammès

Boatyard at Saint-Mammès c.1886

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

Glasgow Life Museums

The Loing at Saint-Mammès

The Loing at Saint-Mammès 1883

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

Glasgow Life Museums

Wales has three in the National Museum Wales in Cardiff. Alfred Sisley was the only major Impressionist artist to work in Wales, spending July to September 1897 in Penarth, near Cardiff, and Langland Bay, on the Gower Peninsula. However, painting en plein air in Wales was a new experience for the artist – he wrote of painting 'against the wind, which reigns supreme here. I had not experienced this before.'

Storr Rock, Lady’s Cove, Le Soir

Storr Rock, Lady’s Cove, Le Soir 1897

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

The Cliff at Penarth, Evening, Low Tide

The Cliff at Penarth, Evening, Low Tide 1897

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

There are Sisleys scattered across England too – two in Leeds Art Gallery, two in Museums Sheffield and two in Cambridge's Fitzwilliam.

Soleil couchant

Soleil couchant 1875

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

Leeds Museums and Galleries

The Banks of the River Seine around Louveciennes, France

The Banks of the River Seine around Louveciennes, France

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

Sheffield Museums

A Street, Possibly in Port-Marly

A Street, Possibly in Port-Marly 1875–1877

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

The Fitzwilliam Museum

Birmingham Museums Trust, Oxford's Ashmolean, Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, the Higgins Bedford, Norfolk Museums, Manchester Art Gallery, Southampton City Art Gallery and Bristol Museum & Art Gallery all have one each.

The Church at Moret in the Rain

The Church at Moret in the Rain 1894

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

Birmingham Museums Trust

A Bend in the River Loing

A Bend in the River Loing 1896

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Le Loing, gelée blanche

Le Loing, gelée blanche 1889

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

Leicester Museums and Galleries

14 July at Marly, France

14 July at Marly, France 1875

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

The Higgins Bedford

A Street Scene (La grande rue à Argenteuil)

A Street Scene (La grande rue à Argenteuil) 1872

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

Norfolk Museums Service

A Normandy Farm

A Normandy Farm 1874

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

Manchester Art Gallery

Avenue of Chestnut Trees at La Celle-Saint-Cloud

Avenue of Chestnut Trees at La Celle-Saint-Cloud 1867

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

Southampton City Art Gallery

The Entrance to the Village

The Entrance to the Village c.1885

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

There's also just a single one in London's National Gallery, three in the Tate collection and two at the Courtauld.

The Watering Place at Marly-le-Roi

The Watering Place at Marly-le-Roi probably 1875

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

The National Gallery, London

Boats on the Seine

Boats on the Seine 1875–1879

Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Pissarro

Pissarro was in fact the only artist to take part in all eight of the Impressionist exhibitions. There are 54 paintings by Pissarro in UK public collections. The most in any one gallery is fifteen in the Ashmolean, Oxford (although one of those is apparently by a pupil).

Farm at Montfoucault: Snow Effect

Farm at Montfoucault: Snow Effect 1874–1876

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Seven are in the Tate collection.

Seven are in The National Gallery in London.

Fox Hill, Upper Norwood

Fox Hill, Upper Norwood 1870

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)

The National Gallery, London

Six are at the Fitzwilliam in Cambridge.

Piette's House at Montfoucault: Snow Effect

Piette's House at Montfoucault: Snow Effect 1874

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)

The Fitzwilliam Museum

Three are in the Courtauld.

Lordship Lane Station, Dulwich

Lordship Lane Station, Dulwich 1871

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Two are in the Kelvingrove, with another in Glasgow, in the Hunterian.

The Banks of the Marne

The Banks of the Marne 1864

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)

Glasgow Life Museums

Le matin brumeux, Rouen (Misty Morning, Rouen)

Le matin brumeux, Rouen (Misty Morning, Rouen) 1896

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)

The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

And there are two in the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Kitchen Gardens at L'Hermitage, Pontoise

Kitchen Gardens at L'Hermitage, Pontoise 1874

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)

National Galleries of Scotland

There are four Pissarros in Manchester, with two at The Whitworth and two at Manchester Art Gallery.

The Quai du Pothuis at Pontoise after Rain

The Quai du Pothuis at Pontoise after Rain 1876

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)

The Whitworth, The University of Manchester

Rue de Voisins

Rue de Voisins 1871

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)

Manchester Art Gallery

There are two in Cardiff, in National Museum Wales.

Sunset, Port of Rouen (Steamboats)

Sunset, Port of Rouen (Steamboats) 1898

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Completing the list are two in Birmingham (one each in the Barber Institute and Birmingham Museums Trust), and one in Leicester, Sheffield, Southampton and Ipswich.

The Pond at Montfoucault

The Pond at Montfoucault 1875

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

Le pont Boieldieu à Rouen, soleil couchant

Le pont Boieldieu à Rouen, soleil couchant 1896

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)

Birmingham Museums Trust

La route, effet de neige (The road, snow effect)

La route, effet de neige (The road, snow effect) 1879

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)

Leicester Museums and Galleries

Paysannes plantant des rammes

Paysannes plantant des rammes 1891

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)

Sheffield Museums

Louveciennes

Louveciennes 1870

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)

Southampton City Art Gallery

La maison du père Gallien à Pontoise

La maison du père Gallien à Pontoise 1866

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)

Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service: Ipswich Borough Council Collection

Cézanne

There are 37 paintings by Cézanne, plus some prints and drawings. Although he exhibited with the Impressionists, many of his works are more in a Post-Impressionist style. Nine of the paintings are in the Courtauld.

The Montagne Sainte-Victoire with Large Pine

The Montagne Sainte-Victoire with Large Pine c.1887

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Nine are in The National Gallery in London, including his famous Bathers (Les Grandes Baigneuses) which is more of a Post-Impressionist work. This earlier painting featuring poplars owes more of a debt to the Impressionist style.

Landscape with Poplars

Landscape with Poplars about 1885-7

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)

The National Gallery, London

Five are at The Fitzwilliam in Cambridge.

Still Life with Apples

Still Life with Apples c.1878

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)

The Fitzwilliam Museum

Three are in National Museum Wales, including this painting of the Zola Dam near Marseilles. Gwendoline Davies purchased this work in Paris in 1918. When on loan to the Tate Gallery in 1922, Roger Fry praised it as 'one of the greatest of all Cézanne's landscapes'.

The François Zola Dam

The François Zola Dam 1878–1879 or 1883–1884

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Two Cézannes are in Edinburgh, at the National Galleries of Scotland.

Montagne Sainte-Victoire

Montagne Sainte-Victoire 1890–1895

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)

National Galleries of Scotland

Three are in Glasgow, with two at the Kelvingrove, and one at The Burrell.

The Star Ridge with the King's Peak

The Star Ridge with the King's Peak c.1878–1879

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)

Glasgow Life Museums

The Château of Médan

The Château of Médan c.1879–1880

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)

Glasgow Life Museums

The are three in Tate's collection, including this landscape from the mid-1870s.

Museums Sheffield and the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool each have a single Cézanne, and the Ashmolean did have one until it was stolen in 2000 (which you can still see an image of below).

Bassin du Jas de Bouffan

Bassin du Jas de Bouffan c.1874

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)

Sheffield Museums

The Murder

The Murder c.1867

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)

Walker Art Gallery

Near Auvers-sur-Oise

Near Auvers-sur-Oise 1880s

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Degas

There are 34 paintings by Degas in UK collections, plus 34 sculptures and a selection of watercolours and drawings. The Courtauld has nine works overall and four paintings.

Two Dancers on a Stage

Two Dancers on a Stage 1874

Edgar Degas (1834–1917)

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

London's National Gallery holds nine paintings, including Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando, which was shown at the fourth Impressionist exhibition in 1879.

Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando

Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando 1879

Edgar Degas (1834–1917)

The National Gallery, London

There are five Degas paintings in The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, including At the Café from the mid to late 1870s.

At the Café

At the Café c.1875–1877

Edgar Degas (1834–1917)

The Fitzwilliam Museum

Edinburgh has four Degas paintings in the National Galleries of Scotland.

A Group of Dancers

A Group of Dancers 1890s

Edgar Degas (1834–1917)

National Galleries of Scotland

And in Glasgow, The Burrell also has four.

The Rehearsal

The Rehearsal c.1874

Edgar Degas (1834–1917)

Glasgow Life Museums

Tate has just two oil paintings, but six sculptures by Degas.

Horse Clearing an Obstacle

Horse Clearing an Obstacle c.1887–1888

Edgar Degas (1834–1917)

Tate

The V&A, Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, Barber Institute, Birmingham Museums Trust, The New Art Gallery Walsall, and the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool all have one painting each.

The Ballet Scene from Meyerbeer's Opera 'Robert le Diable'

The Ballet Scene from Meyerbeer's Opera 'Robert le Diable' 1876

Edgar Degas (1834–1917)

Paintings Collection

La rentrée du troupeau

La rentrée du troupeau 1898

Edgar Degas (1834–1917)

Leicester Museums and Galleries

Jockeys before the Race

Jockeys before the Race 1878–1879

Edgar Degas (1834–1917)

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

A Roman Beggar Woman

A Roman Beggar Woman 1857

Edgar Degas (1834–1917)

Birmingham Museums Trust

Marguerite, soeur de l'artiste

Marguerite, soeur de l'artiste 1855–1857

Edgar Degas (1834–1917)

The New Art Gallery Walsall

Woman Ironing

Woman Ironing c.1892–1895

Edgar Degas (1834–1917)

Walker Art Gallery

Morisot, Cassatt, Bracquemond

The women who took part in the Impressionist exhibitions are particularly poorly represented in UK public collections.

There are just five paintings by Berthe Morisot – one each at the Courtauld, National Museum Wales, National Galleries of Scotland, London's National Gallery and the Tate collection (and a couple of prints at the Courtauld).

Portrait of a Woman

Portrait of a Woman 1872–1875

Berthe Morisot (1841–1895)

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Woman and Child in a Meadow at Bougival

Woman and Child in a Meadow at Bougival 1882

Berthe Morisot (1841–1895)

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

A Woman and Child in a Garden

A Woman and Child in a Garden c.1883–1884

Berthe Morisot (1841–1895)

National Galleries of Scotland

However, there is a Dulwich Picture Gallery exhibition of her work from March to September 2023 if you want to see more of her art.

Summer's Day

Summer's Day about 1879

Berthe Morisot (1841–1895)

The National Gallery, London

Girl on a Divan (Jeune femme au divan)

Girl on a Divan (Jeune femme au divan) c.1885

Berthe Morisot (1841–1895)

Tate

The American artist Mary Cassatt had settled in Paris in 1874 and became particularly friendly with Degas. She took part in four of their eight group shows (1879, 1880, 1881, 1886).

The two paintings by her in UK collections are in Glasgow's Kelvingrove and Birmingham Museums Trust.

The Young Girls

The Young Girls c.1885

Mary Cassatt (1844–1926)

Glasgow Life Museums

Portrait of a Woman

Portrait of a Woman 1881–1883

Mary Cassatt (1844–1926)

Birmingham Museums Trust

There are no paintings by Marie Bracquemond, but you can read about her in this story about four women Impressionists – which also features a work by Eva Gonzales (who didn't take part in the Impressionist exhibitions but still painted in that style).

Gauguin

There are 57 artworks by Paul Gauguin on Art UK – but only 17 paintings, plus some sculpture (including the one of his wife, which you can see further up this article), prints and drawings.

However, he sits between the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, and is possibly more known for his later works, his friendship with Van Gogh, and his relocation to Tahiti (the colonial implications of which are addressed in this story).

Three works are in the Courtauld and two in London's National Gallery.

The Haystacks

The Haystacks 1889

Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Bowl of Fruit and Tankard before a Window

Bowl of Fruit and Tankard before a Window probably 1890

Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)

The National Gallery, London

There are two works in the Tate collection.

Harvest: Le Pouldu

Harvest: Le Pouldu 1890

Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)

Tate

National Galleries of Scotland has three paintings, and Kelvingrove one, but it's probably the most straightforwardly 'Impressionist' work by the artist in the UK.

Martinique Landscape

Martinique Landscape 1887

Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)

National Galleries of Scotland

Østre Anlæg Park, Copenhagen

Østre Anlæg Park, Copenhagen 1885

Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)

Glasgow Life Museums

There are two in Birmingham's Barber Institute (although one is only 'attributed to' him), and one each at Manchester Art Gallery, Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle, the Fitzwilliam in Cambridge and Sheffield Museums. All the Gauguins in the UK range between some of his earlier, more Impressionist pieces and the later Post-Impressionist style he developed.

Bathers in Tahiti

Bathers in Tahiti 1897

Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

Harbour Scene, Dieppe

Harbour Scene, Dieppe c.1881–1885

Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)

Manchester Art Gallery

The Breton Shepherdess

The Breton Shepherdess 1886

Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)

Laing Art Gallery

Landscape

Landscape 1873

Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)

The Fitzwilliam Museum

Intérieur avec Aline Gauguin

Intérieur avec Aline Gauguin 1881

Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)

Sheffield Museums

Seurat

There are 29 works by Seurat listed on Art UK – 28 are oil paintings and one of those is a known forgery. Nine works (including the forgery) are in the Courtauld.

Boat by the Bank, Asnieres

Boat by the Bank, Asnieres c.1883

Georges Seurat (1859–1891)

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Nine are in London's National Gallery, including the two studies for La Grande Jatte, further up this piece and his first major work, the famous Bathers at Asnières

Bathers at Asnières

Bathers at Asnières 1884

Georges Seurat (1859–1891)

The National Gallery, London

Three are at Kelvingrove in Glasgow, and two in Edinburgh's National Galleries of Scotland.

House among Trees

House among Trees c.1883

Georges Seurat (1859–1891)

Glasgow Life Museums

La Luzerne, Saint-Denis

La Luzerne, Saint-Denis 1885

Georges Seurat (1859–1891)

National Galleries of Scotland

The Tate collection has two paintings, as does The Fitzwilliam (one of which is another study for La Grande Jatte).

The Rue St Vincent, Paris in Spring

The Rue St Vincent, Paris in Spring c.1884

Georges Seurat (1859–1891)

The Fitzwilliam Museum

Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery and Bristol Museum & Art Gallery have one Seurat each – the Bristol example is one of the artist's earliest surviving works in oil.

Ville d'Avray, France, maisons blanches

Ville d'Avray, France, maisons blanches c.1882

Georges Seurat (1859–1891)

Walker Art Gallery

Sunset

Sunset c.1881

Georges Seurat (1859–1891)

Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

Signac

There are five works painted in oil by Paul Signac in the UK – two are at the Kelvingrove in Glasgow.

Sunset, Herblay, Opus 206

Sunset, Herblay, Opus 206 1889

Paul Signac (1863–1935)

Glasgow Life Museums

There's one each in Leeds Art Gallery, the Courtauld and The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge (the Courtauld and Fitzwilliam also hold drawings).

La route Pontoise (L'embranchement de Bois-Colombes)

La route Pontoise (L'embranchement de Bois-Colombes) 1886

Paul Signac (1863–1935)

Leeds Museums and Galleries

Saint Tropez

Saint Tropez c.1893

Paul Signac (1863–1935)

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

The Entry to the Port, Portrieux

The Entry to the Port, Portrieux

Paul Signac (1863–1935)

The Fitzwilliam Museum

A note about Manet

Manet is sometimes grouped in with the Impressionists as they had all looked up to him as a leader of avant-garde art. However, he was reluctant to associate his work with the group, and stood somewhat apart from the group – he did not participate in any of the Impressionist exhibitions. He did, however, adopt the Impressionist technique of painting out of doors, encouraged by Berthe Morisot, who married his brother in 1874. You can see this in some of his works, such as this study in National Museum Wales.

Argenteuil, Boat

Argenteuil, Boat (study) 1874

Édouard Manet (1832–1883)

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Manet's example of being a non-Impressionist Impressionist is a useful reminder that although today we see clear movements and styles, the artists working at the time didn't label their works as Impressionist until it was a useful marketing tool! Various of the core group then went on to change and develop their styles in a variety of ways, sometimes loosely called 'Post-Impressionism' or using other terms such as 'Neo-Impressionism' or 'Pointillism' to describe their style.

On top of this, the style of en plein air painting using impressionist brushstrokes continued to be popular, and other artists then used this style. Elsewhere on Art UK, you can read about the British Impressionists Mark Fisher, Margaret Fisher Prout and Vincent Lines, or Amy K. Browning, whose works were unmistakeably in that same genre, using similar techniques.

As the twentieth century moved on, new styles termed Fauvism, Cubism, Vorticism, Expressionism, Abstraction and many others proliferated. But the simple appeal of Impressionism has remained, certainly with the public, so much so that Impressionism continues to be hugely popular today, both in its original form and the impressionistic works of artists that followed.

Ultimately, the works deemed unsuitable for display back in the 1870s and 80s were collected by art dealers and connoisseurs. As the decades passed, the Impressionists and their work became accepted and part of the establishment of the art world.

Fortunately the UK's museums and galleries invested in these works decades ago so they are freely available for us all to enjoy – they would no doubt be too expensive for any but the wealthiest gallery to acquire today.

Andrew Shore, Head of Content at Art UK