The Clark Institute in Williamstown, Massachussetts is a private gallery that holds a vast collection of art including many French Impressionist pieces. These works are currently touring Europe and while in London will be on display at the Royal Academy of Arts.
We already have two excellent collections of Impressionist work, at the National and Courtauld galleries, so does this exhibition offer anything more than what can be seen at London's permanent displays?
The collection includes most of the usual suspects ranging from Manet to Monet as well as several lesser known artists - including Morisot, one of the few female members of the Impressionist movement.
There are a set of paintings where Monet is still struggling to find his style and a rare piece where he uses a much darker, grimmer palette. It's an interesting insight into an artist whose later works tend to garner all the attention.
The highlights of this exhibition are the vast collection of works by Renoir and Pissarro that the Clark has amassed. Saint-Charles, Eragny by Pissarro is so vibrant that the trees appear to melt under the viewer's gaze.
Though the exhibition is split into five sections, Renoir's works captivate in each one. His effusive style is brilliantly vivid, whether it be applied to peonies, a sleeping girl or a river flowing under a bridge. His paintings are instilled with an energy that's hard to resist being engrossed by.
The works by other artists such as Gauguin, Manet and Degas are not their best but this is a minor quibble. This is an excellent collection of Impressionist art that's worth seeing for the Renoir's alone.
From Paris: A Taste for Impressionism - paintings from the Clark is on at the Royal Academy of Arts until 23 September. Admission is £10 for adults.