“In the Luxembourg Gardens”

Enjoy seeing the splendid “Sargent and Paris,” 1874-1884, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York through August 3rd. The early paintings of the American expatriate, who spoke several languages and was an accomplished pianist, reveal not only his brilliance but the genuine friendships he had with his patrons and fellow artists with whom he exchanged works as gifts and who praised his work publicly as he did theirs. The world traveler had a natural curiosity about people, their lives, and cultures. He mastered Realism, though he showed skillful use of Impression. Well-known for his portraiture, he painted murals in later years.

Following are a few highlights of the exhibition:

“Madame Ramon Subercaseaux,” wife of his friend Ramon Subercaseaux, Chilean diplomat and artist

A self-portrait at age 30

The initially scandalous and later renowned “Portrait of Madame X”: John Singer Sargent excelled at depicting society women with great elegance. Subjects usually sought him out; in this instance, he pursued the renowned beauty American-born socialite Virginie Amelie Avegno Gautreau, who had married a prominent French banker. Initially, the right shoulder strap of the gown was down in the portrait, but this, combined with so much exposed skin, i.e., no evening gloves, created a scandal. The artist repainted a raised strap, but his subject rejected it. Mr. Sargent left for London and took the portrait with him. John Singer Sargent was confident that this was his best work, and his loyal friends supported him.

The artist in the studio

Photo of Virginie Amelie Avegno Gautreau with the gown’s strap down

A Gust of Wind (Judith Gautier)”

“Oyster Gatherers of Cancale”; one of a series of this scene that Sargent created with models whom he posed.

“La Carmencita (Carmen Dauset Moreno),” a Spanish style dancer and the first woman featured in film (1894).

“Fumée D’Ambre Gris (Smoke of Ambergris)”; the artist had a model pose in Tangiers for this painting of ambiguous meaning, possibly religious, which he completed in his Paris studio.

“Fete Familiale (The Birthday Party)” depicts John Singer Sargent’s friends and fellow artists Albert Besnard and his wife Charlotte Dubray, and their son, Robert.

“An Out-of-Doors Study” (Paul Helleu Sketching with His Wife)

“Dr. Pozzi at Home,” Samuel Jean Pozzi, an Italian medical doctor who was also “an aesthete and a collector” (partial view)

“Madame Georges Charpentier and Her Children” by Renoir, one of the paintings by a Sargent peer in the exhibition

“La Vicomtesse de Pouilloue de Saint-Perier (Marie Jeanne de Kergolay)”

Looking forward to returning to see the works of John’s sister Emily Sargent on view through March 8th. Music on Instagram @kathleenhelenlevey, published on July 19, 2025, is by the artist’s friend Faure.

Dans les Olivier’s a Capri (Among the Olive Trees, Capri)

The Met Museum and the Musee d’Orsay organized the exhibition. The generous sponsors are The Marguerite and Frank A. Cosgrove Jr. Fund with Bank of America, The Sam and Janet Salz Trust, GRoW @ Annenberg, Jim Breyer, the Aaron I. Fleischman and Lin Lougheed Fund, and Trevor and Alexis Traina.

(Sources: Met Museum, arthistory.net, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Clark Art, new.artsmia.org, Wiki).

“Travel with John Singer Sargent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art” All Rights Reserved ©2025 Kathleen Helen Levey

“Claude Monet Painting by the Edge of a Wood”: Monet paints at his home near Giverney; his wife Alice keeps him company.

”The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit” in a style influenced by Velasquez.