Claude Monet visited London three times between 1899 and 1901, when he became fascinated by the views of the Thames from the balcony of his suite at the Savoy hotel. In an attempt to capture the light at specific times of day, he painted the views towards Waterloo Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and Charing Cross Bridge, later completing the paintings when he was back in France. “The blurring, or merging, of water and sky created by the fog fascinated Monet,” says Karen Serres, curator of a new exhibition bringing these works together in London, as the artist intended, for the first time, just 300 metres from where many of them were painted. “He would remember this blurring for his famous water lily paintings, which he began after his return from London.”
