La Boverie museum hosts exhibition on Belgian Impressionism

The La Boverie museum in Liège, Belgium, has launched an exhibition titled “Impressionism, a Belgian Story” to highlight the country's significant role in the movement. Featuring nearly 150 works, the collection places Belgian artists alongside renowned French masters such as Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Curators aim to correct the historical narrative that often presents Impressionism as a purely French invention. While Belgian painters were inspired by French techniques, they maintained roots in realistic traditions and distinguished themselves through the use of neo-impressionist techniques to create portraits, a genre that proved more challenging for the French movement.

The exhibition explores the intense artistic exchange between Paris and Brussels during the late 19th century. It also features a dedicated section for female Impressionist painters, noting the unique challenges women faced when attempting to paint en plein air during that era. The exhibition is part of the museum's tenth-anniversary celebrations and is scheduled to run until March 29, 2027.