Renoir and love

The Impressionist of joy, reconsidered — Paris and London, 2026

Pierre-Auguste Renoir has long been called the „painter of happiness“ — a label that made him beloved and, at times, underestimated. This landmark retrospective reexamines his fundamental contributions to Impressionism through a precise and unexpected lens: the idea of love in its many forms, from romance and seduction to friendship, family, and the vibrant social world of modern Paris.

The exhibition focuses on the two crucial decades from 1865 to 1885 — the period of Renoir’s full artistic maturity. His scenes unfold in the new social spaces of 19th-century Paris: theaters, restaurants, dance halls, boulevards, and gardens frequented by all classes of society. Organised jointly by the Musée d’Orsay, the National Gallery, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, this is the first major Renoir retrospective in France since 1985.

The highlights are icons. Renoir’s most celebrated canvas, Bal au Moulin de la Galette (1876), will travel to London — where it will be shown in the UK for the very first time. Alongside it, Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881) and The Umbrellas chart the artist’s evolution from luminous Impressionism toward more structured compositions. Loans arrive from Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Stockholm, Los Angeles, and Washington — over fifty paintings in total.

On kunstfinder.com you’ll find Renoir’s key works catalogued with full details — museum locations, techniques, and direct links to high-resolution images. Use the artist page as your companion to this exhibition.