Sargent and Paris come to the Met

The landmark exhibition Sargent and Paris opened at the Met on April 27. Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the artist’s death, it includes one hundred works, from preparatory sketches to the bewitching Madame X.

Jointly presented by The Metropolitan and the Musée d’Orsay (where it will appear in autumn), it is the first major solo exhibition of the artist’s work to take place in France. It marks the return of Sargent’s magnificent paintings to the city that inspired him.

Unforgettable

There is nothing like seeing one of your favourite artists’ works in person. It’s more than finally seeing the actual colours, brushstrokes, and composition. It reaches into your heart in a way you could never have expected.

Art lovers flock to Gallery 771 to view this spell-binding depiction of the American-born, Parisian socialite Madame X (Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau). When I first saw John Singer Sargent‘s Madame X in the Met’s American Wing, I was almost breathless. I will never forget it.

Sargent and Paris

Sargent and Paris explores the American artist’s early career from his arrival in Paris at 18 in 1874 through to the well-documented Madame X Paris Salon scandal and its aftermath. The exhibition continues with his subsequent work in the City of Light and beyond. Alongside his paintings, watercolours, and drawings, the exhibition also features select portraits by Sargent’s contemporaries.

Friendship and Patronage

After the introductory sections ‘In the Studio’, ‘Beyond the Studio’, and ‘The Lure of Travel’, you enter the ‘Friendship and Patronage’ Gallery. Suddenly, you’re just like Gil Pender in ‘Midnight in Paris’: You’re transported to the glittering salons and candlelit ateliers of Belle Époque Paris.

Sargent’s star rose not by chance; it was a mix of talent, curiosity, determination, and social grace that opened doors for the young artist. Sargent mixed with the city’s artists, writers, and patrons, constantly widening his circle of influence

The portraits in ‘Friendship and Patronage’ illustrate his connection to the era’s tastemakers. Critic and confidant Louis de Fourcaud is immortalised with a knowing gaze. Author and translator Emma Allouard-Jouan, whose words and influence helped grow Sargent’s reputation, is portrayed as elegant but also dignified; it is a testimony to their friendship.

Sargent’s career blossomed as Paris boomed with new money, old aristocracy, and art’s newfound respectability. He shrewdly painted the city’s women with a flattering eye, revealing glimpses of their hidden power. He knew exactly what the world wanted to see.

The Most Talked About Painter in Paris

Next, the exhibition’s fifth gallery, “The Most Talked About Painter in Paris,” tells the story of John Singer Sargent’s dazzling portrait style.

His enigmatic masterpiece, The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit, takes centre stage. Here, Sargent doesn’t simply paint a portrait of the girls; he adds a touch of drama to the shadowy foyer of a Parisian apartment. This was his submission to the Paris Salon in 1883. He had begun two portraits of notable women, but when neither was completed in time, he sent The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit. This painting reveals his debt to Spanish painter Diego Velázquez.  There is a hint of mischief amongst the light and shadow, adding something inexplicable.

Next to this hangs Las Meninas, After Velázquez (1879, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art), is Sargent’s homage to the Spanish master’s brushwork and style that reshaped his artistic journey. Sargent immersed himself in the Prado during his formative trip to Madrid, copying Velázquez’s masterpieces and absorbing the artist’s secrets. Velázquez’s influence inhabits Sargent’s work, with the artist painting Parisian scenes in a distinct and mysterious style.

Madame X

The Madame X gallery focuses on the intriguing portrayal of the glamorous Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau. A minor socialite, Madame Gautreau was born in New Orleans to parents of French descent and emigrated to Paris as a child. At 19, she married a much older banker and quickly rose through the ranks of the French capital’s society.

Admired for her extraordinary beauty, Gautreau was a fine-featured and pale brunette. She exaggerated her alabaster complexion with lavender-coloured face and body powder. Colouring her hair with henna made her a standout in Paris’ parlours and salons.

Captivated by Madame Gautreau’s striking presence and determined to produce a showpiece for the Paris Salon, Sargent persuaded her to sit for a portrait, without any formal commission. The exhibition features a number of preparatory sketches, charcoals and oil renderings of the intriguing Gautreau.

But when he unveiled the resulting painting under the title *Madame ***, this bold and attention-grabbing portrait became the talk of the city.

The Scandal

Paris society seized on Gautreau’s appearance, using her “excessive” cosmetics and the daring detail of her sparkling dress strap slipping from her right shoulder as grounds to question her character and morality.

The glamorous portrait was seen as a direct challenge to the era’s social codes. Gautreau and her mother both pleaded with the artist to remove the painting from the Salon. Considering the growing scandal, Sargent altered the painting, placing the ‘scandalous’ strap firmly back on Madame Gautreau’s shoulder.

Singer’s reputation was also called into question, and he was shunned by the very clientele he had hoped to impress. More notorious than enfant terrible, he later admitted the firestorm severely damaged his career. He moved to London and rebuilt his standing, quickly becoming the most sought-after portraitist on both sides of the Atlantic.

When Sargent sold the portrait to The Metropolitan in 1916, he described it as “the best thing I’ve done,” and requested that it be exhibited simply as Madame X.

Sargent and Paris:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: April 27–August 3, 2025.
Musée d’Orsay, Paris: September 22, 2025 –January 11, 2026. See exhibition details here.

Liz Bond

Liz Bond comes from a PR background and loves fine wine, great food and rewarding travel - all the magnificent things in life. She prides herself in meeting famous celebrities at baggage carousels.