Light, Revolution, and Painting: Impressionism Arrives in Shanghai

The Musée d’Orsay brings over 100 masterpieces to Shanghai, tracing the birth of modernity in art. At the heart of the exhibition Paths to Modernity, Impressionism unfolds in all its visual and poetic power - a pictorial revolution that broke academic rules to make way for subjective perception, light, and the passing of time. Born in 19th-century Paris, the Impressionist movement forever changed the way we paint and see the world. Its key figures - Monet, Renoir, Degas, Manet - left the studio behind to paint en plein air, capturing shifting atmospheres, shimmering reflections, and fleeting expressions. On view are iconic works such as Stacks of Wheat by Claude Monet, Young Girls at the Piano by Renoir, and The Dance Foyer by Degas, alongside post-Impressionist masterpieces like Tahitian Women by Gauguin and The Bedroom in Arles by Van Gogh. A rare gathering of masterpieces that tells the story of art’s bold leap into modernity. To complement the Impressionist exhibition, visitors at the Museum of Art Pudong can also experience Tonight with the Impressionists, Paris 1874: an immersive journey into 1874 Paris, exploring the origins and revolution of modern painting.