Monet masterpiece doubles visitors to art gallery
The National Gallery, LondonThousands of people have flocked to see an original masterpiece by French impressionist Claude Monet - doubling the number of visitors to a Lancashire art gallery.
Blackpool's Grundy Art Gallery was chosen as one of four venues to display the 1872 painting The Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil as part of a nationwide tour organised by the The National Gallery in London.
More than 4,000 have visited the gallery since 28 March, twice the number it received in the same period last year, bosses said.
Curator Paulette Brien said: "We've chatted to many visitors who've told us they feel privileged to see a Monet, not only outside a big city but in their hometown."
Council leader Lynn Williams said: "The thousands of people making the trip to the Grundy demonstrates the real appetite for arts and culture in Blackpool.
"Having the opportunity to see a world-renowned Monet painting here in Blackpool is incredibly important."
Blackpool CouncilShe continued: "Art of this significance - masterpieces - should be accessible to everyone, and bringing works like this to the town helps break down barriers, ensuring that people of all ages and backgrounds can experience internationally celebrated culture without needing to travel to London or Manchester.
"It also challenges outdated perceptions of Blackpool, showcasing our town as a place where culture, creativity and ambition thrive.
"We're all thrilled that so many people, young and old and from near and far, have been to see the Monet painting and felt inspired by it."
More than 600 children from 10 primary and secondary schools have visited as part of a special programme, touring the gallery, viewing the painting and learning more about the prolific artist who died in 1926.
The work depicts a riverside scene near the town of Argenteuil where Monet moved in 1871, and its display in the Grundy follows exhibitions of art by LS Lowry and Roy Lichtenstein.
The exhibition ends on 13 June.
