Renoir Divides Opinion In New Touring Exhibition

(MENAFN- USA Art News) A major touring exhibition titled“Renoir and Love” is drawing renewed attention to the Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, whose work continues to spark debate among critics and the public. The exhibition opened at Paris's Musée d'Orsay over the summer, will move to the National Gallery in London on October 3, 2026, and conclude its tour at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, from February 20 to June 13, 2027.

Despite the exhibition's focus, a persistent sentiment that Renoir's artistic merit is questionable has followed the artist throughout history. Nineteenth-century contemporaries like Édouard Manet were critical, with Manet reportedly declaring,“He has no talent at all, that boy! Tell him please to give up painting.” American Impressionist Mary Cassatt found his depictions of women“the most awful imaginable,” while 20th-century abstraction chronicler Clement Greenberg noted Renoir's inconsistent quality, writing,“One day I find him powerful, another day almost weak; one moment brilliant, the next merely flashy; one day firm, another day soft.”

This contemporary skepticism is notably amplified by the popular Instagram account“Renoir Sucks At Painting,” which continues a viral campaign initiated a decade ago by artist Max Geller. Geller organized anti-Renoir protests at several museums and described his disgust at Renoir's“hands that look like tentacles” and“backgrounds that look like rotting vegetation,” concluding that Renoir“didn't seem to be trying very hard.” He views the exhibition of such works as merely“a sense of obligation.”

Conversely, Renoir's defenders are equally vocal. While the National Gallery's curators for“Renoir and Love” did not comment, the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia has actively engaged critics, even inviting Geller to its online class“In Defense of Renoir.” The foundation's founder, Albert Barnes, amassed 181 Renoir works and expressed to critic Leo Stein that the artist“strikes a personal response” due to“his joy in painting the real life of red-blooded people, and his skill in conveying his sensations to my consciousness.”

Martha Lucy, the Barnes's deputy director for research, echoed this sentiment, praising Renoir's ability to capture everyday intimacy between people.“His paintings are accessible,” Lucy said.“They're very pretty and his subjects are pleasant.” She highlighted Renoir's 1875 painting Luncheon, loaned by the Barnes to“Renoir and Love,” as an example of his skilled portrayal of human connection amid urban life. Lucy specifically praised“the way he uses color to create the wine glasses. Those quick dashes of paint.” This painting was created when Renoir was in his mid-thirties, within the exhibition's 1865–1885 period, which intentionally avoids the artist's later works often found at the Barnes that tend to provoke stronger negative reactions.

However, criticisms extend beyond artistic technique. Renoir's antisemitism, which led him to shun Jewish painter Camille Pissarro, and perceived misogyny in his portrayal of women have been noted in recent decades. Lucy acknowledged,“The way he paints women can be off-putting for a lot of people.” Karen Leader, an associate professor of art history at Florida Atlantic University, distinguished Renoir's“complex” and“technically accomplished” early work from his later pieces, which she found“jarring” and created“for the pure pleasure of the male gaze.”

Despite these controversies, Lucy maintained Renoir's historical significance, noting his influence on modernists like Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. Geller, however, argued that museums should prioritize works by“geniuses from marginalized communities,” especially given limited wall space. Leader contended that the perceived“masterpiece” value of Renoir's collection is a“construct of patriarchy” that fuels a market-driven hegemony, suggesting museums should“educate rather than simply entertain.” Leader cited feminist art historian Linda Nochlin's belief that art history should be“a critical, not a positive discipline,” which resonates with the“Renoir Sucks At Painting” movement's aim to question established art historical narratives. Geller stated,“It's not about hating one painter. We are animated by a love of art, and having museums that reflect its richness.”

The exhibition“Renoir and Love” will run at the National Gallery in London from October 3, 2026, through January 31, 2027, before heading to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, from February 20 to June 13, 2027.

Source: Artnet News

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