Curator Tour | Into the Modern: Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Image credit: Edgar Degas. Detail of Visit to a Museum. c. 1879–1890. Oil on canvas, 91.8 × 68 cm. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John McAndrew. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 

Curators Phoebe Scott (Senior Curator, National Gallery Singapore) and Julia Welch (Arthur K. Solomon Assistant Curator of Paintings, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)—will take participants on a private tour of the exhibition, and speak to the connection between the modernity represented in Impressionism and our present experience. Participants will be guided to have a deep encounter with the works of art, discover what they reveal about the world that the artists inhabited and portrayed—marked by profound social transformation caused by rapid urbanisation—and come away with an appreciation of the artists’ sensitivity to how these changes re-shaped the environment, patterns of labour and leisure, representations of gender, and Parisian public life.

Works featured on this tour include Edgar Degas' At the Races in the Countryside, a work which was displayed at the inaugural 1874 Impressionist exhibition; Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Dance at Bougival that features a slice of modern life in the outskirts of Paris; Berthe Morisot's White Flowers in a Bowl, a highly experimental still life painted with an immediate and direct approach; and Victorine Meurent's Self-Portrait, a recent discovery which has sparked further research into her artistic endeavours. The enduring visual appeal of Impressionism is highlighted by the selection of works by Claude Monet that will also be discussed, such as Grainstack (Snow Effect) from his iconic series that sees him capturing the same subject at different moments, each a fleeting yet timeless image all at once.

Please note that this curator tour will take place after exhibition opening hours.

• When: 14 Nov 2025, 7pm
• Suitable For: Adults, Families, Visitors with accessibility needs, Students and Educators
• Where: City Hall Wing, Level 3, Singtel Special Exhibition Gallery 3, Exhibition Entrance
• Ticket information: $55 (Standard) and $50 (Concession)