Monet painting gifted to Walsall art gallery will tour Japan for exhibition
An oil painting by the iconic impressionist painter Claude Monet which was gifted to the people of Walsall in 1973 is travelling to Japan for a special exhibition.
The 1882 painting, entitled Le Chemin Creux dans la Falaise à Varengeville - which translates to The Sunken Road in the Cliff at Varengeville - belongs to the Garman Ryan Collection at The New Art Gallery Walsall.
It has now travelled to Japan for a major retrospective of the impressionist artist’s work.
The painting will be on display at Tokyo's Ueno Royal Museum until January 28, 2024, and will then go to the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka from February 10 until May 6, 2024.
The Series of Paintings exhibition will bring together more than 60 of Monet's works, selected from more than 30 collections around the world.
Monet painted Le Chemin Creux dans la Falaise à Varengeville while living in a small fishing village in Normandy.
He was inspired by the area’s scenic coastline, particularly the triangular shapes formed by the meeting of cliffs, sky and sea.
The lone building depicted in the painting shows the local coastguard’s cottage. The pale sky and murky palette showcase Monet’s interest in the changing weather and light at different times of day.
The painting was gifted to the people of Walsall in 1973 by Kathleen Garman along with 364 other artworks and artefacts.
Kathleen had grown up in Wednesbury, and although she had lived in London most of her life, she wanted to give something back to her home county, believing it was important for culture to exist outside of the capital.
Kathleen was the life partner of 20th-century sculptor Jacob Epstein and formed the Garman Ryan Collection after his death with her close friend Sally Ryan.
As well as the painting by Monet, the collection features artworks by many world famous artists such as Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne and Vincent Van Gogh.
The Garman Ryan Collection can currently be explored through a special trail celebrating its 50th anniversary, '50 Favourites for 50 Years', with contributions from staff and those associated with the gallery’s recent projects.
On November 1, the gallery will also host a special online event with David Goldbloom, the great-nephew of Sally Ryan’s long-term partner. The event aims to shed some light on Sally, a figure who has always been a more mysterious presence in the collection.
Councillor Gary Flint, Walsall Council's portfolio holder for wellbeing, leisure and public spaces, said: "The Garman Ryan Collection is a jewel in the Black Country. This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase our world class collections on a global scale, as it deserves."
Julie Brown, collections curator at The New Art Gallery Walsall, said: "It is brilliant that 50 years on from its donation, the Garman Ryan Collection continues to put Walsall on the map and bring international recognition. I hope Japanese audiences enjoy the painting as much as our visitors do."
