Billed as the man who coined the term impressionism it struck me how unimpessionistic the majority of De Gas' works were. They consisted primarily of dour, dark family portraits - an example of realism rather than the former. Born in 1834 De Gas was educated in Paris and then embarked on what the museum called a studiereis (lit. study travels.) Later in his career he did sculptures and photographic works.
Sharing the exhibition in Den Haag's Gemeetemuseum (trams 17, 10) were works the leading lights of the impressionist movement namely Cezanne, Monet and Renoir on loan from the musee d'Orsay in Paris. My personal favourite however was the Familie Reunion by Frederic Bazille as it did tell a story of each of the family members parts of which they would have probably not wished not be depicted when they commissioned the work.
Sharing the 30's built municipal museum space was a small exhibition named "Dromen van Holland" The Dreams of Holland where characteristic landscapes and windmills were depicted in a style clearly inspired by Monet. A couple of pictures of Rotterdam (you see the old railway bridge) and an excellent sunset at Katwijk complete the collection.