The National Gallery Masterpiece Tour. Monet: In the Presence of Nature

Free, drop in. 

Saturday 17 January - Friday 24 March 2026

South Shields Museum & Art Gallery has been selected as one of just four partners to host the National Gallery Masterpiece Tour, a three-year transformative opportunity to bring world-class art to the North East.

In January 2026, the museum will exhibit Monet’s masterpiece, The Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil (1872), which has only left the National Gallery once in the past 20 years.

The painting will be displayed in the museum's art gallery space, complemented by works from the South Shields, Laing and Shipley art collections, and artworks co-created by EBSA young people, teachers, and local organisations. 

The exhibition will focus on the power of art and nature, exploring themes of calm, retreat, and resilience.

Film about the painting

Wellness Weekends at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery

Every Saturday, from Saturday 24 January until Saturday 21 March 2026, visitors are invited to enjoy free ‘Wellness Weekends’ at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, designed to encourage mindfulness and relaxation through art, to celebrate the arrival of Monet's The Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil (1872), as part of the National Gallery's Masterpiece Tour.

Partners and Funders

Image credit: Claude Monet (1840-1926), The Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil, 1872, Oil on canvas © The National Gallery, London