Albert André Montmartre, view of the Boulevard de Clichy (Montmartre, vue du Boulevard de Clichy) 1921, oil on canvas, Private Collection
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Staff Writer
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March 19, 2026
To celebrate its 130th year, Geelong Gallery will soon present their blockbuster exhibition Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel, art dealer among the artists. This will be the most ambitious international showcase in the Gallery’s history, with over 70 paintings from across two generations of Impressionist artists, including Monet, Renoir, Berthe Morisot and Camille Pissarro. Many of them have come from private collections in France, and have never been seen before in Australia. Stretching across five galleries, this remarkable exhibition will look at the legacy of Paul Durand-Ruel, the first art dealer who supported the Impressionist artists. This exhibition will run from June 20 to October 11.
Claude Monet, Peonies 1887, oil on canvas, Private Collection
Discovering the Impressionists at Geelong Gallery
Presented in partnership with Art Exhibitions Australia and ACPA Advising Curating Producing Art, this exhibition is the first of its kind to trace the story of the Impressionists alongside the man who made it possible.
Although Paul Durand-Ruel was not a painter, he was an art dealer who bought the work of Monet, Renoir, Pissarro and their peers at a time when they were ridiculed and shunned. By displaying their works in his Paris gallery, and later in New York, London and Brussels, he helped shift public opinion about the Impressionists across Europe and America. Over the course of his life, he purchased and promoted over 12,000 paintings.
Gustave Loiseau, Bridge, Triel-sur-Seine (Le Pont de Triel-sur Seine) 1917, oil on canvas, Private Collection
Never before toured outside Europe and the United Kingdom, you’ll see works from familiar names like Monet, as well as a second generation of painters, like Albert André, Georges d’Espagnat, Gustave Loiseau, Maxime Maufra and Henry Moret.
Highlights include rare decorative panels by André and d’Espagnat, which were painted for the doors of Durand-Ruel’s private Paris apartment, as well as a partial recreation of his drawing room.
Claude Monet ‘Fir trees at Varengeville’ (Sapins à Varengeville) 1882, oil on canvas, Private Collection
“This Gallery was built on Impressionism,” said Humphrey Clegg, Director and CEO of Geelong Gallery. “Our very first acquisition, Frederick McCubbin’s A Bush Burial in 1900, was an Australian Impressionist work, and the movement has shaped our Collection ever since. For our 130th year we wanted to do something worthy of that legacy — and Discovering the Impressionists is exactly that. It is the most ambitious exhibition in our history, and one I believe will genuinely surprise Australian audiences.”
This exhibition was curated by Marianne Mathieu, former Scientific Director of the Musée Marmottan Monet, and Claire Durand-Ruel, great-granddaughter of Paul Durand-Ruel. Mathieu previously curation Monet’s Garden for the NGV in 2013, and Monet: Impression Sunrise for the National Gallery of Australia in 2019.
Georges d’Espagnat, Autumn afternoon (Après-midi d’automne) 1899, oil on canvas, Private Collection
Key info:
📅Saturday June 20 to Sunday October 11
🎫$29 for adults, $25 concession and $15 for children aged 5 to 15. Gallery members can purchase a ticket for $22, and seniors are welcome at a rate of $25 on Tuesdays.
📍55 Little Malop St, Geelong VIC 3220
To learn more about the exhibition, click here.