We're delighted that having a Monet masterpiece at the Grundy Art Gallery puts Blackpool on the cultural map
The leader of Blackpool Council has said that the arrival of a priceless Monet masterpiece to the Grundy Art Gallery for the first time in history will ‘put Blackpool on the cultural map.’
With the painting - The Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil painted in 1872 - arriving in Blackpool as part of The National Gallery’s Masterpiece Tour 2025-2027, Leader of Blackpool Council Lynn Williams said: “Today is about celebrating something wonderful with Blackpool. Something that places us firmly on the cultural map in a new and exciting way.
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“It sends a powerful message that Blackpool is a place where world-class culture is thriving,” said Cllr Williams, who is also Cabinet Member for Tourism, Arts and Culture. “It is also important to recognise the range of people who will experience this painting: local residents who may never have had the opportunity to visit a major National Gallery, young people from our schools seeing a massive piece up close, perhaps sparking a lifelong interest in art and visitors coming to Blackpool for a day or a weekend discovering something unexpected.”
The exhibition, which runs from March 28 to Jun 13, will be free to the public and will not only feature the Monet masterpiece, but will also showcase major new collection by acclaimed contemporary artist Louise Giovanelli, one of the UK’s most respected contemporary painters, titled From Here to Here to Here.
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The exhibition marks a return to the Grundy for Giovanelli, who first exhibited at the gallery a decade ago and, in a full-circle moment, the exhibition also looks forward, featuring work by emerging artists from the Apollo Painting School - a training programme Giovanelli co-founded in 2023.
Selected from more than 30 institutions, the Grundy is one of just four venues nationwide chosen to host the celebrated work. Paulette Brien, Curator of The Grundy Art Gallery, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be launching to be launching Grundy Art Gallery’s spring programme 2026, which includes an exquisite Monet on loan from the National Gallery.
“It’s been a fantastic process; it has taken about 18 months to get to this point and so we are absolutely delighted to now be here celebrating with our residents and visitors. It’s an amazing opportunity for visitors and residents to have a look. The piece hasn’t left the gallery in 20 years and it’s a special moment for people to come in and have a look for free.”
Per Rumberg, the Jacob Rothschild Head of the Curatorial Department at the National Gallery, added: “I’m excited to work with the Grundy Art Gallery on what we call the Masterpiece tour. We have chosen three paintings from the National Gallery which will come here to Blackpool over the course of the next three years.