BMA Explores the Influence of Smog on the Work of Modern Artists in Europe

Air Quality pairs works by Matisse, Monet, Whistler, and others with data from climate scientists

BALTIMORE, MD (February 5, 2025)—On February 9, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) will open a focus exhibition that explores the relationship between burning fossil fuels and the development of European modernist styles. Air Quality: The Influence of Smog on European Modernism presents a selection of paintings and works on paper by Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, James McNeill Whistler, and others to consider the ways that their artistic practices were impacted, in part, by widespread pollution in London and Paris. The exhibition includes data from climate scientists about the amount of fine particulate matter in the air at the time several works were created. Air Quality will be on view at the BMA in two installations from February 9-August 3, 2025, and August 13, 2025–February 22, 2026. It is presented as part of the museum’s ongoing Turn Again to the Earth initiative, which explores environmental and sustainability issues.

“Air Quality offers an intriguing look at the significant influence of environment on the work of several renowned artists at the turn of the 20th century,” said Dr. Asma Naeem, the BMA’s Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director. “Smog and the effects of industrialization—whether it inspired or repelled the featured artists—was a significant characteristic of a range of European Modernist works. Today, as we consider the role of artists and creatives within climate dialogues, it is fascinating to reflect on the longstanding impact of the environment on creative production.”

During the 19th and 20th centuries London and Paris were choked by smog—a combination of fog, smoke, and atmospheric pollutants. The widespread burning of coal was both a nuisance and a health hazard that blocked the sun, soured the air, and increased the deathrates of city dwellers. As we know now, it has also contributed to the warming of our planet. For artists working at the time, this polluted, hazy air had a dramatic impact on the artworks they produced. Smog was visually stimulating and helped Monet see his urban environment in new ways. The amount of particulates in the air in London when his Waterloo Bridge (Sunlight Effect with Smoke) was created in 1903 has been estimated to be around 570 micrograms per cubic meter—more than double the amount that is today considered hazardous according to the World Health Organization’s Air Quality Index Rating.

In contrast, it was only when Matisse left Paris and encountered the bright, clear light of the Mediterranean coast that his palette began to fill with the bold and vibrant color for which he is known. This is vividly demonstrated with the gloomy painting The Dam at Pont Neuf (1896), contrasted with The Maintenon Viaduct (1918) and other later works.

Air Quality: The Influence of Smog on European Modernism is curated by Dr. Kevin Tervala, BMA Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown Chief Curator. It is presented in the Jay McKean Fisher Gallery in the Ruth R. Marder Center for Matisse Studies. All of the featured works are drawn from the BMA’s extensive holdings in modern art, including more than 1,400 works by Matisse.

Turn Again to the Earth

About the Baltimore Museum of Art

Founded in 1914, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) inspires people of all ages and backgrounds through exhibitions, programs, and collections that tell an expansive story of art—challenging long-held narratives and embracing new voices. Our outstanding collection of more than 97,000 objects spans many eras and cultures and includes the world’s largest public holding of works by Henri Matisse; one of the nation’s finest collections of prints, drawings, and photographs; and a rapidly growing number of works by contemporary artists of diverse backgrounds. The museum is also distinguished by a neoclassical building designed by American architect John Russell Pope and two beautifully landscaped gardens featuring an array of modern and contemporary sculpture. The BMA is located three miles north of the Inner Harbor, adjacent to the main campus of Johns Hopkins University, and has a community branch at Lexington Market. General admission is free so that everyone can enjoy the power of art.