Renoir painted Bal du Moulin de la Galette in 1876. In 150 years, this famous Montmartre dance scene had never once crossed the Channel... until now!
It's the star of Renoir and Love, the big Renoir exhibition at the National Gallery, on until 31 January 2027 on Trafalgar Square. Its last Renoir exhibition, back in 2007, was all about his landscapes. This time, it's all about love!
Today, DOYOUSPEAKLONDON invites you to the dance halls, riverbanks and gardens of Renoir's Paris! 💃
Renoir, the painter who chose the happy side of Paris
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born in 1841 and grew up in Paris, the son of a tailor. Fun fact: as a teenager, he earned his living painting flowers on porcelain!
In the summer of 1869, he set up his easel next to his friend Claude Monet at La Grenouillère, a busy bathing spot on the Seine. Together, they were inventing what would become Impressionism.
Renoir was a real witness of his time. He painted the new Paris of the 1870s: wide boulevards, bridges, cafés, dance halls and Sunday outings by the river.
But he only kept the best of it! Life wasn't always easy for him, and he struggled for money for years. Yet in his paintings, everyone is smiling, flirting, dancing or chatting.
He's often quoted as saying: "Why shouldn't art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in the world."
The exhibition started at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, where it was one of the most visited shows in the museum's history. In London, it broke the National Gallery's ticket record before it even opened!
Inside the Renoir exhibition: love, friendship and Sunday dances
Renoir and Love brings together around 45 works from the mid-1860s to the mid-1880s, borrowed from Paris, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and more.
Couples in the garden
The first rooms are full of couples: walking arm in arm, whispering on a bench or meeting on a sunny path. Have a look at La Promenade (1870), where a young man helps his companion along a woodland path.
Then comes The Swing (1876), with its patches of sunlight falling through the leaves onto a white dress.
Friends, rowers and the river
Renoir also loved painting his friends. His portrait of Charles and Georges Durand-Ruel, the sons of his art dealer, is so lively!
And then there's the river: rowing boats, picnics and lazy afternoons on the Seine, just outside Paris. Look out for The Skiff, a National Gallery favourite, with its bright orange boat on a deep blue river.
There's also a young woman with a parasol resting in the long grass, painted with quick, light brushstrokes, and friends chatting on a terrace Near the Lake.
Bal du Moulin de la Galette, in the UK for the first time!
Then comes the big moment: Bal du Moulin de la Galette! This open-air dance hall in Montmartre was where Parisians came to dance on Sunday afternoons.
Renoir filled it with his friends, with sunlight falling through the trees onto the dancers. It's the first time it has ever been shown in the UK!
Dancing couples and The Umbrellas
Next, Dance in the Country and Dance at Bougival hang side by side: two couples twirling under the trees, with the same red bonnet and the same swirl of a white dress.
The National Gallery's own The Umbrellas is here too. Fun fact: Renoir started it in 1881 and reworked it around 1885, so you can spot two styles in one painting!
Families and evenings at the theatre
The last rooms are more intimate: evenings at the theatre, families at home and children at play.
Look at La Première Sortie, a young girl on her very first night out, leaning forward to take in the whole theatre! Nearby, the Bérard girls sew, read and play in Children's Afternoon at Wargemont.
Why Renoir and Love is a must-see this autumn
I thought I knew Renoir like the back of my hand, but this exhibition showed me something new about him.
Renoir was a true witness of his time, painting the Paris around him to make it last forever. And at the same time, he chose to show only a dreamy, happy version of it, full of love and beauty.
The exhibition is really well organised, with one exceptional painting after another. And the Bal du Moulin de la Galette alone is worth the trip to Trafalgar Square!
Need a break? Cross Trafalgar Square to the Café in the Crypt at St Martin-in-the-Fields, under its beautiful brick vaults.
Trafalgar Square is right in the heart of London, so it's easy to carry on your day in Covent Garden, Soho or Piccadilly, all a short walk away. In Piccadilly, here are my 3 secret spots only locals know!
Feeling inspired? If you're planning a visit to Renoir and Love at the National Gallery, I'd love to hear how it goes on DOYOUSPEAKLONDON!
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Everything you need to know about Renoir and Love:
Address: The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN (exhibition in the Sainsbury Wing)
Nearest station: Charing Cross (Northern and Bakerloo lines, 2 min walk) or Leicester Square (Northern and Piccadilly lines, 5 min walk)
Dates: 3 October 2026 to 31 January 2027
Tickets: £20 Sunday to Thursday, £25 Friday and Saturday. Free for under 18s and National Gallery Members. "Pay what you wish" on Friday evenings (from £1), 23 October 2026 to 15 January 2027.
Opening hours: Daily 10am to 6pm, Fridays until 9pm (closed 24 to 26 December)
Booking: Timed tickets, available online
Website: nationalgallery.org.uk
