He created more studies in preparation for this portrait than for any other.
Francis Ormond, 1950 (50.130.117)Īfter arranging an introduction through a mutual acquaintance, Sargent began the portrait. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Mrs. Charcoal and graphite on off-white laid paper 13 9/16 x 9 11/16 in. Right: John Singer Sargent (American, 1856–1925). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Charles and Anita Blatt Gift, John Wilmerding Gift and Rogers Fund, 1970 (1970.47). Graphite on off-white wove paper 9 3/4 x 13 3/16 in. Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau), 1883–84. Left: John Singer Sargent (American, 1856–1925). The ambitious young Sargent was fascinated by her and undertook the portrait without a commission, hoping to enhance his reputation. She was a familiar figure in Parisian society, known for her artful appearance, which she accentuated with dramatic cosmetics and clothing.
She was Virginie Avegno Gautreau (1859–1915), an expatriate from Louisiana who was married to a French banker. This is the case with Madame X, his most famous portrait. Throughout his early years in Paris, Sargent built his reputation by convincing friends and notable members of fashionable society to pose for him and then exhibiting these works at the Paris Salon. Finally, our colleagues in London broached the subject again this past spring: Why not include Madame X? The Madame X decision had been made early in the planning process-before Elizabeth Mankin Kornhauser and I joined the team in 2013 as co-curators of the Met's presentation of the show-but the question resurfaced periodically and lingered in our minds.
Though iconic, the subject was neither an artist nor a friend, so she didn't quite fit the original parameters of the exhibition. It might surprise you to know that Madame X was not initially included in Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends. Phelps Stokes, Gautreau appears quite distinct from the elegant high-society portraits. Surrounded by Sargent's portraits of the Wyndham sisters and Mr. Ordinarily we think Madame X looks quite splendid in gallery 771, where she is seen with other grand-manner portraits of the period. Each year, visitors flock to The American Wing to muse on the eccentric glamour of this bold portrait featuring the American wife of a French banker. John Singer Sargent's Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau) is an icon of the Met's collection. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund, 1916 (16.53) Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau) (detail), 1883–84. John Singer Sargent (American, 1856–1925).
0 kommentar(er)
