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Beyond Monet

 
Mark Harding Review by Mark Harding 3 Published: 29 Nov 2025 Royal Highland Centre Show Dates: 29 Oct 2025-2 Jan 2026

Beyond Van Gogh may have caused broadsheet art critics to clutch their pearls, but the show was popular enough for Beyond Exhibitions Inc to introduce Beyond Monet to Scottish audiences at the Edinburgh Royal Highland Centre, alternating with the Van Gogh experience.

The Beyond shows are actually speaking to modern sensibility more than most contemporary art.

The show lasts about an hour and consists of three rooms, with the Immersive Room as the main event. Here, projected stills and animations of Monet’s paintings surround visitors as they walk around or sit on benches or the carpeted floor.

Beyond Monet is a collection of paradoxes. Information boards explain that Monet’s aim was to freeze the fleeting effects of light onto canvas. However, the projections are about movement: nothing is frozen; images are never held long enough to be studied in detail. It’s like animating Bridget Riley’s Op Art — it rather defeats the point. The show is a tribute to Monet, but I’m sure he would have hated it. From an academic perspective, it’s the opposite of the slow, detailed observation needed to properly engage with a painting.

Another paradox is the presentation as an Art Event, when, in reality, it is a Tourist Attraction. Selfies are old hat: nowadays, it’s boyfriends taking posed pictures of their girlfriends. Beyond Monet is perfect for that. Most of the audience were finding good projections to serve as backgrounds for photos of friends and loved ones. The Contemplation Room features a real Monet bridge and Sunflower sculptures, so people can be photographed physically immersed in the famous motifs.

Yet there is art on display. Occasionally, the animations — especially the sea storm section — are beautiful, and the projections moving beneath your feet are intriguing. Some people were lying on the floor to video these effects. The show may not hone one’s ability to look at a canvas, but it certainly sharpens the photographer’s eye. With this emphasis, the Beyond shows are actually speaking to modern sensibility more than most contemporary art.

My only complaint is the failure of capitalism to meet market demand. I’m sure a similar immersive show for Star Wars, Dunkirk, or Gravity would sell like hotcakes. Come on, guys!

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The Blurb:

Immerse yourself in Monet’s dreamlike artistry, with masterpieces like Water Lilies, Impression, Sunrise, and Woman with a Parasol surrounding you in a dynamic display that moves, shifts, and comes alive.