Final opportunity to experience a Monet masterpiece in South Shields
Art lovers have just days remaining to experience the work of Impressionist painter, Claude Monet, in South Tyneside.
Images and video – available for download here.
Art lovers have just days remaining to experience the work of Impressionist painter, Claude Monet, in South Tyneside. The exhibition at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, which has drawn visitors from across the region and delivered a 31% increase in footfall, will close on Wednesday 25 March 2026.
Visitors have been given a rare opportunity to experience Monet’s work as part of The National Gallery Masterpiece Tour. South Shields Museum & Art Gallery has been selected as one of just four partners to host the nationwide tour, which is a three-year transformative opportunity to bring world-class art to the North East.
The Monet painting is on display alongside an exhibition of landscapes by other artists taken from the South Shields, Laing and Shipley art gallery collections, as well as art created by local young people.
Monet: In the Presence of Nature aims to inspire visitors to slow down, appreciate the beauty of the natural world and reconnect with the power of observation and reflection.
In a newly released trailer film about the exhibition, museum manager Geoff Woodward reflects on Marcel Proust's description of Monet’s work as a “magic mirror.” He explains that Monet’s paintings do more than depict the landscape - they merge with our own memories and emotions, inviting us to look closer and embrace our deeper feelings.
The loan of the famous Monet artwork forms the centrepiece of a creative programme aimed at supporting young people in South Tyneside experiencing Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA). EBSA, an increasingly recognised issue both locally and nationally, affects young people who face significant anxiety and emotional barriers to attending school.
Leslie Palanker-Jermyn, Learning Co-ordinator at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery said:
“With just a few days left, we encourage everyone who has been planning to visit not to miss this extraordinary opportunity.”
“Monet’s paintings are even more powerful in person, and this is a rare chance to see one right here in South Tyneside, before the exhibition closes."
Dr Gabriele Finaldi, Director of The National Gallery, said:
“The National Gallery’s collection belongs to all of us. It is part of our duty and our honour to look after these paintings and to bring them to where people are, not just expect them to come to us.
“Partnering on touring exhibitions does so much more than bring beloved paintings from the collection to other places in the UK - it supports the whole country's cultural ecosystem, connects people with paintings that belong to us all, and allows us to learn and expand our own practices and interpretations through the creativity of our partner organisations and their communities.
“That over one million people have visited these exhibitions in the last decade proves the desire to engage with our collection is growing, and we look forward to welcoming the next million visitors across the UK.”
Monet: In the Presence of Nature is on display at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery until Wednesday 25 March 2026. Entry is free but visitors are encouraged to donate. South Shields Museum & Art Gallery is open Monday – Friday, 10am – 5pm, and Saturday, 11am – 4pm. The museum is closed on Sundays.
Image credit: NG6395 Claude Monet, The Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil 1872 Oil on canvas, 52.6 x 71.8 cm © The National Gallery, London.
