Claude Monet’s ‘The Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil’ (1872) is presented in a multi-sensory reflective space within the Sainsbury Centre, which encourages contemplation around the importance of sanctuary and a safe home.
The reflective space will mark the first edition of The National Gallery Masterpiece Tour 2025–27, of which the Sainsbury Centre has been selected, alongside three other partners.
Monet spent a year in voluntary exile in England and the Netherlands during the Franco-Prussian War, returning to France in 1871 where he settled in Argenteuil near the river Seine. Here, having found a sense of stability and home, his artwork flourished as he created paintings inspired by his surroundings, such as ‘The Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil’.
A new fragrance will be created for the exhibition by IFF, a leading global fragrance house, which will evoke a sense of calm and serenity using its proprietary Science of Wellness tool.
This exhibition is part of the Sainsbury Centre’s ‘Can We Stop Killing Each Other?’ season.
The National Gallery Masterpiece Tour is organised by the Sainsbury Centre and the National Gallery, London. Specialist insurer, Hiscox, is proud to support The National Gallery Masterpiece tour.
[Image caption: Claude Monet (1840- 1926), The Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil, 1872, Oil on canvas © The National Gallery, London]
