John Singer Sargent - The Paris Years

John Singer Sargent Exhibition: Dazzling Paris, presented at the Musée d'Orsay, Paris (23 September 2025 - 11 January 2026).

John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) was born to American parents, but they soon decided to live in Europe. He was born in Florence and studied at the Beaux-Arts in Paris.

The Musée d'Orsay focuses on the French period (1874–1884) of this prolific painter, punctuated by stays in Spain. His encounter with Velázquez was a shock and a revelation for him. For four years, he studied under Carolus-Durand, who taught him the great rigour of drawing and working directly with a brush on canvas without being tied to the underlayer.

This exceptional draughtsman began painting portraits of high society, whether American (Rockefeller) or French (Polignac). French high society adored Sargent's portraits.

After one of his paintings caused a scandal, Madame X, he preferred to move to England, where he became famous. He even became a member of the Royal Academy. His portraits sold for high prices, even though Sargent declared himself tired of having to smile at his models. Sargent brought a whole era of the Third Republic to life with his immense talent.

A friend of Monet and Degas, although not classified as an Impressionist, he would come close to it in the 1890s... Beaux Arts Éditions lifts the veil on this artist and his work, which is still largely unknown.