On October 3, 2026, London’s National Gallery will open its doors to Renoir and Love – the largest exhibition of Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s work in the UK in twenty years. Until January 31, 2027, more than fifty works will be brought together around a single theme: love, friendship, and the everyday emotions that Renoir painted like no one else. For those of us who love art on our walls, it is a reminder of why Renoir remains one of the most sought-after subjects when choosing a poster for the home. In this article, we look at what the exhibition actually shows, who the man behind the brush was, and how you can bring his warmth home without turning your wall into a museum replica.
In a way, Renoir is the heart of Impressionism. Where Monet painted light and Degas painted movement, Renoir painted people – and above all, the joy of being together. It is this quality that makes his art so easy to live with at home, and which the London exhibition now puts center stage.
A major institution’s decision to organize an entire exhibition around such a human theme as love also says something about our times. After years of conceptual and challenging contemporary art, there is a longing for something immediately accessible and warm – and few artists deliver that as generously as Renoir. It is the same longing that keeps his subjects finding their way out of museums and into ordinary homes, year after year.
What is Renoir and Love – and why does it matter?
The exhibition is a collaboration between three of the world’s leading art institutions and tours during 2026 and 2027. It opened at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris on March 17, 2026, moves to the National Gallery in London on October 3, and closes at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on February 20, 2027. The fact that three museums of this stature have come together around a single artist says something about Renoir’s standing – he is not a footnote in art history but a major draw in his own right.
The theme is deliberately human. Instead of arranging the works chronologically, the curators have grouped them around Renoir’s gift for depicting love in all its forms: couples dancing in the summer air, lovers exchanging a glance, families sharing a quiet moment, friends raising a glass. The highlight in London is that Bal du Moulin de la Galette from 1876, which normally hangs at the Musée d'Orsay, is being shown in the UK for the first time. Beside it hangs the National Gallery’s own The Umbrellas from 1881, which Renoir revisited and reworked as late as 1885. Seeing these canvases in the same room is an opportunity unlikely to come around again for a couple of decades.
The fact that it has been twenty years since the UK last hosted a Renoir exhibition of this scale is no coincidence. The Impressionists’ most sought-after canvases are now so valuable and so sensitive to transport that they rarely leave their home museums. When Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette crosses the English Channel for the first time, it is the result of years of negotiations between institutions. For a Londoner, or a Swedish art traveler, autumn 2026 will therefore be a rare opportunity to see works side by side that otherwise hang on separate continents.
Fast facts: Renoir and Love is on view at the National Gallery in London from October 3, 2026 to January 31, 2027, and features over fifty works—the most significant Renoir exhibition in the UK in twenty years. The exhibition tours from the Musée d'Orsay in Paris (March 17–July 19, 2026), via London, to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (from February 20, 2027). Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette (1876) is being shown in the UK for the first time.
The man who painted happiness: Renoir and dancing Paris
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born in 1841 in Limoges and began his career as a porcelain painter—a profession that taught him to work with brightness and speed, and a feel for the pleasure of decorative surfaces. He never lost some of that lightness. When the Impressionists turned their backs on the salons’ dark history paintings in the 1870s and went outdoors into the natural light, Renoir became the group’s warmest voice.
Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette is the clearest example. Le Moulin de la Galette was a popular open-air dance hall and café on Montmartre, a place where working-class Parisians gathered to dance on Sunday afternoons. Renoir exhibited the canvas as early as the 1877 Impressionist exhibition, and in it we see his entire program: patches of sunlight filtering through the trees, faces blurred by movement, a whole crowd captured in a moment of pure joy. The contours blend together in dashing brushstrokes, almost blurred by the dancing.
Five years later, in Luncheon of the Boating Party (Luncheon of the Boating Party, 1881), a shift is evident. The canvas, one of the largest Renoir ever painted at 130 by 173 centimeters, took sixteen months to complete. In the middle of the work, in January 1880, Renoir broke his right hand when he fell off his bicycle—and simply continued painting with his left hand. The result shows a new appreciation for form and volume: the figures are more solid, the space deeper, but the warmth and camaraderie are the same. Three critics named it the exhibition’s best work when it was shown in 1882.
Renoir lived a long life and kept painting until the very end, despite the rheumatoid arthritis that left his hands increasingly deformed over the years. Legend has it that he tied the brush to his hand so he could keep going – an image of determination that suits the man who, already in his forties, shrugged off a broken wrist. That perseverance also explains the breadth of his work: from the early dance scenes through portraits and bathers to the late, glowing still lifes and flower bouquets. This range means almost every home can find its Renoir, whether you’re drawn to scenes of everyday life or peaceful nature.
From the National Gallery to your wall – why Renoir works at home
What makes Renoir such a rewarding artist for wall art is precisely what the exhibition highlights: emotion. His subjects aren’t difficult or cold; they invite you in. A Renoir poster at home does what the canvas did in the salon – it warms the room and makes it feel inhabited and alive, even when it’s empty. That’s why Impressionism year after year ranks among the most sought-after styles in our collection of artworks by famous artists.
There’s also a thematic reason to choose Renoir. The exhibition’s focus on love, friendship and the simple joys of everyday life captures exactly the feeling many people seek in their homes. A subject centered on togetherness naturally belongs in the rooms where we actually spend time together – around the dining table, in the living room, in the hallway where we meet and part. In this way, Renoir becomes more than decoration; the artwork reflects the life you want to live in the room.
Renoir’s palette is also unusually easy to live with. The powdery pinks, warm yellows and muted blues work well in both bright Scandinavian rooms and more romantic Parisian settings. If you want to build on the French feel, you’ll find more in our Parisian collection, and if you’re drawn to the light of Impressionism, Renoir’s fellow artist is also featured in our selection of Monet paintings. Renoir also painted flowers with the same generous brushstrokes he used for his people, so a botanical poster in his spirit is perfect for anyone who wants the feeling without the portrait.
"A Renoir poster does what the canvas did in the salon—it makes the room feel inhabited and alive, even when it’s empty."
How to choose your Renoir—subject, room, and format
Start with the feeling you want to create. The bustling dance scenes like Bal du Moulin de la Galette are full of movement and suit rooms where you want life and energy—the living room, dining area, or an entryway meant to welcome guests. Quieter subjects, such as a single portrait or a flower study, work better in the bedroom or reading nook, where calm can prevail.
Also consider scale. Renoir’s large canvases were made to fill a wall, and a true crowd scene like Moulin de la Galette loses its impact in a small format—the details disappear and the crowd becomes a blur. If you want a scene like that, choose 50x70 or larger so your eye can wander around the gathering. A single portrait or a bouquet of flowers, on the other hand, works well in a smaller format and looks great in a gallery wall collection alongside other floral motifs and bright Impressionist scenes.
The light in the room matters more for Renoir than for many other artists, precisely because his paintings are about light. Don’t hang a Renoir poster in a dark corner where the colors fade. Instead, give it a wall that gets daylight at some point during the day, or add a warm lamp to bring out the pink and golden tones in the evening. That way, the artwork does what it was made to do: spread a feeling of afternoon sunshine, even when it’s raining outside. A simple rule of thumb is to place Renoir where you like to sit and rest your eyes.
Tip: Let the frame speak the same language as the paint. Renoir’s warm, light palette looks best in natural wood—oak or light walnut—or in a slim gold frame that evokes 19th-century salons without feeling heavy. Avoid a stark black frame around bright Impressionist scenes; it cuts off the light, which is the whole point of Renoir.
Frequently asked questions about Renoir and Renoir and Love
Renoir and Love is the season’s big reason to take another look at an artist we thought we knew - and perhaps finally hang his warmth on our own walls. Explore our selection of famous artists to find your favorite, and read more in our articles about Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas if you want to understand the Impressionist circle Renoir belonged to. Find out more about the exhibition at the National Gallery and about the artist at the Musée d'Orsay.