The Umbrellas: Pierre-Auguste Renoir, The Umbrellas, about 1881-6.Sir Hugh Lane Bequest, 1917, The National Gallery, London. In partnership with Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin.
Carnaby Street collaborates with the National Gallery and Global Street Art to bring a free, large-scale reimagining of Renoir’s The Umbrellas into the heart of the West End this September.
Carnaby Street transforms into an open-air gallery this autumn, as Pierre-Auguste. Renoir’s iconic The Umbrellas is reimagined as a 5 x 3 metre mural at the corner of Carnaby Street and Ganton Street. Delivered in partnership with the National Gallery and Global Street Art, the installation brings one of the world’s most celebrated Impressionist works beyond the walls of the gallery into the everyday life of one of London’s most distinctive streets.
Part of Murals reMastered in collaboration with the National Gallery and Global Street Art, a nationwide initiative connecting masterpieces with the community, the Carnaby Street mural invites audiences to engage with an iconic piece of artwork in an accessible way.
Revealed today and in place until March 2027, the mural continues Carnaby Street’s evolving programme of culture-led experiences, bringing art into the public realm and creating new moments of discovery within the street.
Originally painted between 1881 and 1886, The Umbrellas captures a fleeting moment of urban life: a crowd gathered beneath a canopy of umbrellas, shaped by movement, individuality and evolving social structures. The focus on fashion, people and movement finds its natural home on Carnaby Street.
The umbrella motif itself also carries a particular resonance in London, both practical and symbolic, reflecting the rhythm and character of the city. The artwork, reimagined at mural scale (5 x 3 metres) on the corner of Carnaby Street and Ganton Street, translates seamlessly into the architecture of the street, creating a striking visual moment within an urban landscape.
Renoir’s The Umbrellas will feature in the National Gallery’s autumn blockbuster exhibition Renoir and Love (3 October 2025 – 31 January 2027), celebrating the artist’s gift for capturing love, friendship and everyday emotion in Impressionist France. Pierre-Auguste Renoir, The Umbrellas, about 1881-6. Sir Hugh Lane Bequest, 1917, The National Gallery, London. In partnership with Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin.
The mural gives Londoners and visitors an early glimpse at the artwork, alongside behind the scenes content, timelapse footage of the installation and photography capturing the transformation of Carnaby Street into a living canvas.
This latest initiative continues Soho and Carnaby Street’s commitment to curating cultural experiences across Soho and Carnaby Street. It reinforces the area as a destination that goes beyond retail and hospitality to champion creativity, community and shared experience, while celebrating one of the UK’s most important cultural institutions ahead of the Renoir & Love exhibition later this year.
Renoir’s The Umbrellas captures people, fashion and the movement of everyday city life, so there’s something wonderfully fitting about seeing it reimagined on Carnaby Street. This has always been a place where creativity and self-expression play out in public, but also for the unexpected – somewhere people come to discover something new. Working with the National Gallery to bring a masterpiece of Impressionism onto the street creates exactly that kind of unexpected encounter, connecting one of London’s great cultural institutions with the energy and creativity of Carnaby Street today.
CATHERINE RICCOMINI – DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS AT SHAFTESBURY CAPITAL
As part of our Murals reMastered programme, the National Gallery is delighted to bring Renoir's The Umbrellas out into the streets ofLondon, offering people a new way to encounter one of the most recognisable works in our collection. Public art has the power to make culture feel immediate and accessible, and seeing this much-loved painting recreated on such a scale creates an exciting opportunity for audiences to engage with Renoir beyond the Gallery's walls. Carnaby Street feels a particularly fitting setting, creating an unexpected dialogue between Impressionism and contemporary creative culture in the heart of the West End.
PAUL GRAY – DEPUTY DIRECTOR & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, THE NATIONAL GALLERY
Murals have a unique ability to turn familiar places into moments of discovery, and this project is about doing exactly that with one of Renoir’s most iconic paintings. Reimagining The Umbrellas at mural scale is both a creative challenge and an exciting opportunity to introduce anew audience to a masterpiece and Carnaby Street is the perfect canvas for the work. It is a place defined by creativity, colour, and self-expression, so there is a natural connection between Renoir’s bustling scene and the energy of the street today. We’re excited to see the painting take on a new life in the heart of London and become part of the everyday experience of the people who visit here.
PHILLIP HULME – HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT, GLOBAL STREET ART
About Shaftesbury Capital
Shaftesbury Capital PLC ("Shaftesbury Capital") is the leading central London mixed-use REIT and is a constituent of the FTSE-250 Index. Our property portfolio under management, valued at £5.6 billion, extends to 2.8 million square feet of lettable space across the most vibrant areas of London's West End. With a diverse mix of shops, restaurants, cafés, bars, residential apartments and offices, our destinations include the high footfall, thriving neighbourhoods of Covent Garden, Carnaby, Soho and Chinatown. Our properties are close to the main West End Underground stations and transport hubs for the Elizabeth Line. Shaftesbury Capital shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange ("LSE") (primary) and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange ("JSE") (secondary) and the A2X (secondary).
Our purpose
Investing to create thriving destinations in London’s West End where people enjoy visiting, working, and living.
Our values
We have a set of values that are fundamental to our behaviour, decision making and the delivery both of our purpose and strategy: Act with integrity; Take a creative approach; Listen and collaborate; Take a responsible, long-term view; and Make a difference.
About Soho
Soho is a world-famous shopping and dining destination in the heart of London’s West End, synonymous with culture, creativity and innovation. Made up of one square mile of vibrant interconnecting streets including the globally renowned Carnaby Street, it’s home to a multi-dimensional mix of international flagships, independent boutiques and innovative, new concept stores. The epicentre of London’s dining scene, its unique day-to-night hospitality offer comprises high-quality restaurants, cafés, bars and pubs.
ThisisSoho.co.uk / @ThisisSoho
The National Gallery
The National Gallery is one of the greatest art galleries in the world. Founded by Parliament in 1824, the Gallery houses the nation’s collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the late 13th to the early 20th century. The collection includes works by Artemisia Gentileschi, Bellini, Cezanne, Degas, Leonardo, Monet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Titian, Turner, Van Dyck, Van Gogh and Velázquez. The Gallery’s key objectives are to care for and enhance the collection and provide the best possible access to visitors. Admission is free.
Global Street Art
Global Street Art is Europe’s largest and leading hand-painted mural company, with headquarters in London, and offices in Paris, Brussels and Madrid. Their incredible team of talented artists and creatives design and paint murals all over the world for some of today’s best-known brands, fueled by the mission to ‘Live in Painted Cities’. Global Street Art believe that art in public spaces has the power to inspire and enrich communities. Founded in 2012, they have produced over 3,000 murals as part of their public art programme, including two editions of the London Mural Festival.