Who painted Waterloo Bridge, London, at Dusk?

Waterloo Bridge, London, at Dusk was painted by Claude Monet in 1904.

Where can I see Waterloo Bridge, London, at Dusk?

Waterloo Bridge, London, at Dusk is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Waterloo Bridge, London, at Dusk?

Waterloo Bridge, London, at Dusk is associated with Impressionism.

Can I buy a print of Waterloo Bridge, London, at Dusk?

Museum-quality prints of Waterloo Bridge, London, at Dusk are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Waterloo Bridge, London, at Dusk

Claude Monet , 1904

Waterloo Bridge, London, at Dusk is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Claude Monet. It dates from 1904 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:lower right: Claude Monet

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The work belongs to Monet’s Thames series of 1900–1904, where he explored atmospheric effects and the modern city under changing light conditions.

The painting depicts the Thames in London, specifically the view of Waterloo Bridge at dusk. Monet rendered the bridge as a luminous silhouette against a sky suffused with twilight hues, emphasizing the play of artificial and natural light on the urban landscape. The work belongs to Monet’s Thames series of 1900–1904, where he explored atmospheric effects and the modern city under changing light conditions.

Critics have noted that the scene captures the bridge’s industrial modernity while evoking a mood of quiet reflection, with the fading daylight mirroring the transition from day to night in an urban setting.

Technique & Style

The work is painted in oil on a plain-weave canvas support measuring 65.7 cm in height by 101.6 cm in width. Monet’s handling is characterized by quick, broken brushstrokes that register the changing effects of light and atmosphere rather than precise architectural detail. The palette favors muted blues, violets, and ochres, with dabs of warmer tones used to suggest the glow of dusk.

Atmospheric haze dissolves the bridge’s structure into shimmering color fields, aligning the scene with the artist’s late-series serial approach to light and time.

History & Provenance

Claude Monet created Waterloo Bridge, London, at Dusk in 1904. The painting remained with the artist until December 1920, when it was purchased by the Parisian firms Durand-Ruel and Bernheim-Jeune. By 1922, the work had entered the inventory of Durand-Ruel's New York branch, where it was exhibited in Toronto in 1926 before passing to the New York dealer Sam Salz, Inc.

On November 2, 1960, the painting was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. It remained in their collection until 1983, when it was gifted to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it is currently held.

Waterloo Bridge, London, at Dusk is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., having entered the institution as a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon in 1983. Prior to this donation, the couple acquired the canvas from Sam Salz, Inc. of New York on November 2, 1960. The work's earlier provenance includes its purchase from the artist in December 1920 by the Paris firms Durand-Ruel and Bernheim-Jeune, with the New York branch of Durand-Ruel retaining ownership through at least 1926.

Regarding its exhibition history, the painting was lent by Durand-Ruel, New York, for a show in Toronto in 1926. It was subsequently included in the 1998 exhibition Monet in the Twentieth Century, which traveled between the Royal Academy of Arts in London and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Overview

Claude Monet's 1904 oil on canvas, Waterloo Bridge, London, at Dusk, captures a hazy, atmospheric view of the iconic London landmark. The painting presents a blue-green tableau where the bridge, with its distinctive arches, spans calm waters. Distant urban elements and trees are softly rendered, almost dissolving into the pervasive fog. This work exemplifies Monet's dedication to depicting transient light and weather conditions.

Waterloo Bridge, Sunlight Effect, Claude Monet

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Artist & collection

Artist

Claude Monet

Oscar-Claude Monet was a French painter and founder of Impressionism who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it.