By Holly Hales in Melbourne

One of Australia’s biggest ever French impressionist exhibitions is set to return to Melbourne after its initial run was derailed by COVID-19 lockdowns. 

National Gallery of Victoria will present more than 100 works from June 6, 2025, charting the trajectory of artists including Claude Monet in partnership with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA).

Sixteen Monet canvases painted over a 30-year period, depicting the Normandy and Mediterranean coasts and his garden in Giverny, will headline the works.

NGV senior curator Ted Gott said the Monet paintings were just one of the highlights museum-goers had to look forward to.

“We’re lucky enough to have one of Van Gogh’s paintings that he created in the last three months of his life,” Dr Gott said.

“Another painting shows the story of the tens of thousands of working-class people who were displaced from central Paris when it was demolished and (instead) built some of the gorgeous boulevards we have today.”

Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks said the viewing would give people the opportunity to see and pieces that rarely travel.

“Exhibitions of this quality draw visitors from far and wide, injecting millions of dollars into our economy and boosting local businesses,” Mr Brooks said.

“French impressionism is no exception, and we’re pleased to be able to give this extraordinary exhibition the run it deserves.”

The exhibition was brought to Melbourne in 2021 but closed just 21 days after opening due to the city’s lockdowns during the pandemic.

Its 2025 edition will be one the largest French impressionism exhibits to visit Australia and  include three works never-before-seen in Australia including Self-portrait, (1876) by Victorine Meurent.

Best known for being Edouard Manet’s favourite model, she was also an artist in her own right and successfully entered work into the Paris Salon in the 1870s.

Other artists featured will include Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot.

The MFA in Boston is renowned worldwide for its impressionist paintings and is considered one of the most impressive collections outside of France.