A major exhibition at London's National Gallery is drawing criticism for its apparent disconnect between socialist artistic ideals and the ultra-wealthy benefactors promoting them. "Radical Harmony: Helene Kröller-Müller's Neo-Impressionists" showcases works from one of history's largest collections of Neo-Impressionist art, yet critics argue the show exemplifies how the wealthy elite can appropriate radical art movements while remaining oblivious to the irony.

The exhibition features works from the collection of Helene Kröller-Müller, a German-born industrialist who became one of the Netherlands' wealthiest women after inheriting her late husband's business empire. Born into a family of German industrialists, she married Dutch entrepreneur Anton Kröller and moved to the Netherlands in 1888. Following her husband's death, she inherited the family business and used her immense wealth to amass an extraordinary art collection of 11,500 works, including the world's largest collection of Neo-Impressionist pieces and 90 works by Vincent van Gogh, often purchased directly from the artists or their close family members.

Kröller-Müller eventually established her own museum, explaining that artworks "looked monumental in a museum, more beautiful than in a room." The exhibition's wall labels suggest that her collecting aims aligned with Neo-Impressionism's socialist ambitions, proposing that by widening access to works created through "a radical quest for harmony in art, the world might become a better place." However, critics point out the inherent contradiction in this wealthy patron's approach to socialist art.

The technical aspects of Neo-Impressionism, also known as Pointillism, involve applying dots of opposing colors together to create more vivid effects, rather than mixing colors on a palette and applying them with free brushstrokes. While this method was considered radical in theory, the exhibition demonstrates how the prescriptive technique can become restrictive to the point of banality when viewed in large quantities. Individual colors may appear vibrant, but the images often seem confined to flat linearity, resembling colored-in sections rather than the layered depth that traditional painting techniques allow.

Many of the seascapes in the exhibition, which should celebrate light brilliantly, instead appear lackluster. Jan Toorop's "Sea" from 1899 exemplifies this problem, as the Neo-Impressionist method proves inadequate for capturing depth and impact. However, some notable exceptions highlight the technique's potential when artists deviated from strict rules. Van Gogh's "The Sower" from 1888, while employing opposing yellow and blue colors, uses longer, layered strokes that infuse the work with dynamic energy. Similarly, Georges Lemmen's 1890 portrait of Jan Toorop varies the size of the dots to exciting effect.

The exhibition emphasizes the politically radical and socialist content within many Neo-Impressionist works. Jan Toorop's depictions of workers in "Evening: Before the Strike" and "Morning: After the Strike" from 1889-90, along with Maximilien Luce's rendering of laborers in "The Iron Foundry" from 1899, represent the movement's commitment to socialist themes. Ironically, the wall text notes that despite Kröller-Müller purchasing "The Iron Foundry" directly from the artist, her husband displayed it in the office of his iron ore and shipping business, apparently without recognizing the contradiction.

This absurdity permeates the entire exhibition, which exists because a wealthy benefactor collected examples of an art movement that represented socialist politics on paper while being technically prescriptive and restrictive in practice. The curatorial approach appears perfunctory, including a room called "The Silent Picture" dedicated to domestic scenes, which argues that the Neo-Impressionist technique communicated isolation, though this seems more like an inadvertent effect than an intentional artistic choice.

Adding to the commercial concerns, the exhibition receives support from sponsors including Griffin Catalyst, a philanthropic venture led by a billionaire CEO and Trump supporter. Critics argue this sponsorship reinforces the sense that the show prioritizes commerce over thoughtful curation, representing another instance where critical examination takes a backseat to wealthy patronage.

The exhibition, curated by Julien Domercq, Chiara Di Stefano, Renske Cohen Tervaert, along with Annabel Bai Jackson and Christopher Riopelle, continues at the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square through February 8, 2026. The show ultimately raises important questions about how wealthy benefactors can appropriate radical artistic movements while remaining disconnected from the social and political ideals those movements originally represented.