Churchill smog clears from Monet fog

A foggy Monet riverscape once owned by Winston Churchill is now significantly brighter after conservators removed a layer of grime caused by the British leader’s famous cigars. Charing Cross Bridge is one of 21 London scenes painted by the Impressionist master going on display at the Courtauld Gallery in Monet and London: Views of The Thames, which reunites many of the masterpieces for the first time in 120 years.

In preparation, the painting’s layer of airborne dirt caused by cigar smoke and fireplace soot was cleaned, restoring the Thames to its natural yellow-gray haze. “Without the fog, London wouldn’t be a beautiful city,” Monet once said. “Those massive regular blocks become grandiose within that mysterious cloak.”