Curators' introduction

Join our exhibition curators for an introduction to our current exhibition ‘Radical Harmony: Helene Kröller-Müller's Neo-Impressionists’.

Works of Neo-Impressionism are recognisable by the small dots of colour which, when viewed from a distance, blend to create nuanced tones and the illusion of light. When critics first saw this new style of painting, they thought it might bring about the death of painting itself. But what was it about artists like George Seurat, Paul Signac, Anna Boch, Jan Toorop and Henri-Edmond Cross, that ruffled so many feathers?

Alongside their exciting approach to colour, their style also went hand-in-hand with radical political ideas. They captured late 19th-century European society through luminous landscapes, portraits and interior scenes, while also depicting the struggles faced by the working class, in reaction against the industrial age. This talk will explore both the work of these remarkable artists and the story of Helene Kröller-Müller, one of the first great women art patrons of the 20th century. Kröller-Müller assembled the most comprehensive collection of Neo-Impressionist paintings in the world. Collected with the aim of being publicly accessible, these works now form part of the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands.

This exhibition is a collaboration between the National Gallery and the Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo

This session will be delivered in spoken English with British Sign Language interpretation.

Throughout the year, free talks are given in BSL by Deaf presenters or in spoken English with BSL interpretation.

Elizabeth and Daniel Peltz OBE