Painter of Love, Friendship, and Sunlight: “Renoir and Love” Exhibition is Coming to the National Gallery!

As we approach the end of August, the sweet excitement of a monumental exhibition set to illuminate London’s art calendar this autumn is already in the air! One of Impressionism’s most masterful and soulful figures, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, is preparing to visit London with a massive selection centered around those warm moments of love, friendship, and everyday life.

Brought to life in collaboration with the Musée d’Orsay (Paris), the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), and the National Gallery, the “Renoir and Love” exhibition will welcome visitors at the National Gallery between October 3, 2026, and January 31, 2027. Revealing Renoir’s search for style and stylistic experiments between the 1860s and 1880s—considered his most fertile period—this exhibition presents the artist’s journey toward becoming one of the pioneers of Impressionism.

For the First Time in the UK: “Bal au Moulin de la Galette” and Unforgettable Works

The exhibition’s biggest and most thrilling surprise is undoubtedly the painting ‘Bal au Moulin de la Galette’ (1876)—housed in the Musée d’Orsay collection and considered one of the artist’s most iconic masterpieces! For the first time in history, this enchanting work will take its place on the walls of the National Gallery to be exhibited in the UK.

Brought together from prestigious collections across the globe, 40 special paintings bring Montmartre’s sunny gardens, dance halls, and Paris’s joie de vivre to the canvas. The standout thematic strands featured throughout the exhibition include:Couples waltzing in a summer breeze and stolen glances, quiet and tender moments shared by close-knit families, intimate scenes of people bound by friendship raising a toast around a table.

Tickets and Priority Access

To make sure you don’t miss this feast of color and light lying at the heart of Impressionist painting, it’s worth planning your tickets in advance. The priority booking period for members is now open. As you wander through the streets of London this autumn, make sure your path leads to Trafalgar Square—witness that warm sunlight filtered through Renoir’s brush and the most modern expressions of love!