Renoir unplugged

What do Impressionist paintings look like without their frames? Is it even acceptable to exhibit them in this state? What impression do they produce in different frames: a silver, black, or contemporary frame? The public often asks questions about the frames of the Impressionist pictures. Some frames they don’t like, and sometimes people ask why we don’t put the pictures in different frames. We are displaying our Renoir paintings – the greatest group of Impressionist artworks in the collection – with some of the pictures in their accustomed frames, some in new frames, and some unframed. This creates an astonishing opportunity to make comparisons: the pictures make an entirely different “entrance” depending on whether they are framed or unframed, and the frame that is used. This reveals the hitherto unsuspected degree to which picture frames affect our perception. Historical research illuminates the origins of the frames, and how they would originally have been used.

The exhibition also incorporates an interactive information element. Using an app, viewers can select different frames for certain pictures, either on their own smartphones or on the museum’s tablets. They can also discover further surprising background information.

Main photo: Exhibition view Renoir unplugged