The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma, in Takasaki, will present Eugène Boudin: Father of Impressionism – In Search of Light from 28 November 2026 to 31 January 2027. The museum describes it as the first major exhibition of the French painter's work in Japan in about 30 years.
Eugène Boudin (1824–1898) is often called a forerunner, or even the father, of Impressionism. He is known for scenes of his native Normandy, its skies, coastline and cattle grazing in meadows, painted with fresh colour and a light, rapid touch. By working outdoors and observing nature directly, he set out to record shifting light and atmosphere, an approach that, according to the museum, strongly influenced painters of his day, the young Claude Monet in particular.
His skies and clouds won notable admirers in his lifetime: the poet Charles Baudelaire praised their meteorological beauty, and the Barbizon painter Camille Corot called him the king of skies.
The exhibition brings together around 100 works, including oil paintings, drawings, pastels and prints. Alongside the landscapes and seascapes for which Boudin is best known, it looks at his figures and architectural motifs, with the aim of reconsidering his contribution to the development of modern landscape painting. The show is supervised by Laurent Manœuvre and supported by the Embassy of France in Japan and the Institut français.
The exhibition is held in Gallery 1 on the museum's ground floor. Opening hours are 9:30 am to 5 pm, with last entry at 4:30 pm. The museum is closed on Mondays, except 7 and 14 December and 11 January, as well as from 28 December to 4 January and on 12 January. Admission is free for visitors of junior high school age and younger.
