Image Credit: Film still from I, Claude Monet
This programme of screenings and associated performances offers a deeper study of the social context and relationships that shaped Impressionism including interactions between artists and their exchanges with the art establishment and collectors of the time — as well as the movement’s affinities with other art practices in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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When: 21–22 Feb 2026, various timings - Suitable For: Adults, Families, Visitors with accessibility needs, Students and Educators, Young Adults
- Where: Various locations within National Gallery Singapore
- Ticket Information: $10 per pax (Standard), $7 per pax (Concession)
About this Programme
Conceived in conjunction with the exhibition, Into the Modern: Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, this programme of screenings and associated performances offers a deeper study of the social context and relationships that shaped Impressionism—the interactions between artists as well as their exchanges with the art establishment and collectors of the time—and the movement’s affinities with other art practices in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The first day of the programme begins with the documentary, 1874, The Birth of Impressionism (2024), which traces the beginnings of the movement by looking at defining moments in the early careers of the artists and the series of events that led to the historic first Impressionist exhibition of 1874. It is followed by I, Claude Monet (2023), an intimate portrait of the artist who made Impression, Sunrise, the landmark painting that inadvertently gave the movement its name, drawing from his personal correspondence with fellow artists and family.
On the second day, the programme will take a look at other art of the period that displays impressionist sensibilities, such as cinema and music. Visitors can look forward to a rare screening of the 1922 film, La souriante Madame Beudet (The Smiling Madame Beudet) by one of the earliest woman directors Germaine Dulac, who was a key figure in the French avant-garde film movement in the 1920s also known as Impressionism. There will be live music accompaniment for this silent film by the harpist Eduardo Raon, who has also been commissioned to perform an original composition that responds to the Impressionist aesthetic in music by composers such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, with a contemporary turn. This recital will take place in the exhibition space later the same day.
This programme is co-curated by the Gallery’s film programmer Pauline Soh, and Andreina Aveledo, who is an independent art film curator who has worked for festivals such as Le FIFA - International Festival of Films on Art (Canada), FIPADOC - International Documentary Film Festival (France), and Choreoscope - Barcelona Dance Film Festival (Spain), as well as museums such as the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (Canada), the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac (France), and the National Gallery of Canada (Canada).
1874, The Birth of Impressionism (1874, La Naissance de l'Impressionnisme)
This docudrama chronicles the beginnings of Impressionism by looking at defining moments in the early careers of Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Berthe Morisot, and Édouard Manet.
21 Feb 2026, 3pm | National Gallery Singapore, City Hall Wing, Level B1, The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium
I, Claude Monet
Based on over 3000 letters written by Claude Monet, this biographical film brings to light the rich inner life of the artist who painted Impression, Sunrise, a work that inadvertently gave the Impressionist movement its name.
21 Feb 2026, 8pm | National Gallery Singapore, City Hall Wing, Level B1, The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium
La souriante Madame Beudet (The Smiling Madame Beudet)
In 1922, Germaine Dulac made her impressionist film, The Smiling Madame Beudet, about an intellectually curious woman with modern sensibilities who is trapped in an unhappy marriage to a boorish husband. With its focus on the psychological and emotional toll from confinement and domesticity in a petit bourgeois marriage, it is often cited as one of the first truly feminist films.
22 Feb 2026, 3pm | National Gallery Singapore, City Hall Wing, Level B1, The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium
Impressionism in Music: A Harp Recital by Eduardo Raon
In this recital, musician Eduardo Raon will perform an original composition that articulates the Impressionist aesthetic in both pictorial art and music through the harp—an instrument often featured in Debussy and Ravel’s compositions for its ability to create gentle, soft sounds that evoke mood, atmosphere and imagery.
22 Feb 2026, 8pm | Meeting point at City Hall Wing, Level 3, entrance to Singtel Special Exhibition Gallery 1 (near Lift Lobby B)
Explore More
Into the Modern: Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Explore the revolutionary world of Impressionism through iconic works by Renoir, Monet, Manet, Cézanne, and Degas, never before exhibited in Singapore.
Watercolour and Oil Pastel Workshop by Kanchan Mehendale: Reimagining the Commonplace (Indoor)
Step into the world of the Impressionists in this immersive watercolour workshop where participants will explore the thrill of reimagining everyday subjects through still life.
Watercolour and Oil Pastel Workshop by Kanchan Mehendale: Seeking Open Air (Outdoor)
Step into the world of the Impressionists in this immersive watercolour workshop, where participants will experience the thrill of plein air painting.