Eugène Boudin, French, 1824–1898; The Beach at Trouville (detail), 1869; oil on panel; 8 7/8 x 14 3/8 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase 5:1934
Some SLAM visitors might be landlocked this summer, but that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy the beach. The Museum collection features a variety of paintings and photos that will make you feel like you’re at the beach, if only for a minute. We’ve rounded up some notable works from the collection with sandy scenes. From a Japanese beach in Osaka to a French resort in Normandy, the artworks prove you don’t have to go far to enjoy a seaside escape.
Max Beckmann, German, 1884–1950; Young Men by the Sea, 1943; oil on canvas; 75 3/8 x 39 1/2 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase 106:1946; © 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Young Men by the Sea by Max Beckmann
In this painting by German artist Max Beckmann, four men gather at an unnamed seashore on a small strip of sand. Their statuesque bodies and wraps evoke images from ancient Greek and Roman times. A man playing a flute, another holding wine, and a beach setting all contribute to the feeling of revelry.
This painting is on view in Grigg Gallery 216.
Maurice Brazil Prendergast, American (born Canada), 1858–1924; Seashore, c.1913; oil on canvas; 24 1/8 x 32 1/8 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, The Eliza McMillan Trust 33:1948
Seashore by Maurice Prendergast
Women in brightly colored dresses and bathing costumes and a girl riding a pony dominate this painting of the beach by American artist Maurice Prendergast. Behind the figures is water with a white sailboat and a strip of hilly land on the horizon, adding perspective to the lively seascape.
This painting is on view in May Department Stores Company Gallery 334.
Gustave Courbet, French, 1819–1877; The Greyhounds of the Comte de Choiseul, 1866; oil on canvas; 35 1/4 x 45 7/8 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Funds given by Mrs. Mark C. Steinberg 168:1953
The Greyhounds of the Comte de Choiseul by Gustave Courbet
Dog lovers will enjoy this painting featuring two greyhounds at the beach by French artist Gustave Courbet. The dogs are silhouetted against a seashore with the light-blue ocean meeting the horizon.
This painting is on view in Pauline Gehner Mesker Gallery 205.
Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, Spanish, 1863–1923; Under the Awning, Zarautz, 1910; oil on canvas; 39 x 45 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase 20:1911
Under the Awning, Zarautz by Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida
Head to the beach at Zarautz in northern Spain in this painting by Spanish artist Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida. The composition shows the artist’s wife and daughters on the beach as a strong sea breeze blows back their veils in clouds. Sorolla painted the work outdoors, allowing him to capture the effects of the sun, sea, and wind.
This painting is on view in Wells Fargo Advisors Gallery 218.
Alfred Sisley, English (born France), 1839–1899; The Beach at Saint-Mammès, 1884; oil on canvas; 20 3/8 x 24 1/2 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase 224:1916
The Beach at Saint-Mammès by Alfred Sisley
Stop by the beach at Saint-Mammès, a small town southeast of Paris, in this painting by English artist Alfred Sisley. In this composition, Sisley features a view of barges and rowboats tied along the sandy riverbank of the Seine. The painting reflects Sisley’s lively brushwork and luminous blues, particularly on the sparkling surface of the water.
This painting is on view in Wells Fargo Advisors Gallery 218.
Utagawa Hiroshige, Japanese, 1797–1858; published by Koshimuraya Heisuke, Japanese, active mid-19th century; The Beach at Takashi in Izumi Province, from the series Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces, 1853; color woodblock print; image: 13 7/16 x 9 1/16 inches, sheet: 14 5/8 x 10 1/8 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase 210:1919
The Beach at Takashi in Izumi Province, from the series Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces by Utagawa Hiroshige
Get an aerial view of the beach in Izumi province (now part of Osaka prefecture) in this painting by Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige. The work features a rural landscape with trees and a seascape with boats, all captured using vivid colors.
Eugène Boudin, French, 1824–1898; The Beach at Trouville, 1869; oil on panel; 8 7/8 x 14 3/8 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase 5:1934
The Beach at Trouville by Eugène Boudin
Stop by the Normandy resort of Trouville in this painting by French artist Eugène Boudin, which shows a fashionably clad group of tourists congregating on the beach in Northern France. Boudin often painted scenes like this one on small wood panels, which were better suited to the windy conditions of the beach than canvases that swayed in the breeze.
Jozef Israëls, Dutch, 1824–1911; Children at the Seashore, 1860s; watercolor with pastel; sheet: 9 1/2 x 7 11/16 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Bequest of Ellis Wainwright 286:1925
Children at the Seashore by Jozef Israëls
Take a trip to the Dutch seashore in this watercolor painting by Jozef Israëls, which shows a boy and a girl playing on the beach. Israëls, a founding member of the Hague School of 19th-century Dutch painters who looked to artists like Rembrandt for inspiration, combined old standards with new trends, such as naturalism, to create works like this one.
Georges Pierre Seurat, French, 1859–1891; Port-en-Bessin: The Outer Harbor (Low Tide), 1888; oil on canvas; 21 3/8 x 26 1/4 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase 4:1934
Port-en-Bessin: The Outer Harbor (Low Tide) by Georges Seurat
Travel to the Normandy resort of Port-en-Bessin in this painting by French artist Georges Seurat. Seurat, who painted this scene while spending the summer at the French seaside resort, captured the port with details including a sail in the foreground and flagpoles in the distance. The work displays Seurat’s signature “pointillist” style, or practice of applying to a canvas small dots of color that blend when viewed at a distance.
Raoul Dufy, French, 1877–1953; The Beach at Sainte-Adresse, 1907; oil on canvas; 23 3/4 x 28 3/4 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of Sarah Jane May Waldheim 83:1985
The Beach at Sainte-Adresse by Raoul Dufy
Everyone’s gone fishing in this painting of the Sainte-Adresse seaside in Normandy, France. The composition by French artist Raoul Dufy shows two boys fishing over a railing in the foreground, two women with parasols strolling behind them, and a man preparing his fishing pole on the sidewalk. Large areas of color and broad brush strokes define the lively beach scene.