The Impressionist exhibit opening today at Washington's Phillips Collection features big names and the marquee draw of 17 Monet paintings. But what makes the show really pleasurable is that it's basically about people at the beach.

With contributions from the likes of Monet, Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Impressionists by the Sea serves as a reminder of the extent to which art movements depend upon technological and social movements. After railroads were built to coastal towns in northern France in the mid-19th century, vacationing Parisians soon turned humble fishing villages into fashionable resorts.

If you go Impressionists by the Sea runs through Jan. 13 at the Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. N.W., Washington. Admission is $14; $12 for seniors and students; free to ages 18 and younger. Call 202-387-2151 or go to phillipscollection.org.