Monet painting to go on free display in Blackpool
The National Gallery, LondonAn original masterpiece by the Impressionist landscape painter Claude Monet will go on public display in Blackpool from 28 March.
Every local school will be invited to view the work by the prolific French artist who died in 1926.
The town's Grundy Art Gallery has been 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.
Its director Sir Gabriele Finaldi previously said it was part of the organisation's duty to bring paintings "to where people are [and] not just expect them to come to us".
Jonathan LynchShowing a riverside scene near the town of Argenteuil where Monet moved in 1871, the painting will be on free display until 13 June.
The artist, whose works have been sold for multimillion-pound sums in recent decades, once said: "The richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration."
Blackpool Council leader Lynn Williams said she was "delighted that Blackpool residents will get an opportunity to experience art of such significance on their doorstep".
The gallery, which has exhibited art by LS Lowry and Roy Lichtenstein, will also display work by the contemporary painter Louise Giovanelli at the same time.
