Where can you see John Singer Sargent in New York?

At the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau), The Wyndham Sisters and Mr. and Mrs. I. N. Phelps Stokes. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.

What is John Singer Sargent's most famous work in New York?

Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau), of 1883 to 1884, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She stands in profile in black satin, one hand on a table, her skin powdered to the colour of lavender. The right strap of the dress, which once hung off her shoulder, was painted back in place after the Salon.

When and where was John Singer Sargent born?

On 12 January 1856, at Florence, Italy. John Singer Sargent died on 14 April 1925, at London, England, aged about 69.

What is John Singer Sargent known for?

Madame X caused a scandal at the Paris Salon of 1884. He sold it to the Met in 1916 and called it the best thing he had done. Born in Florence to American parents, and never lived in the United States. John Singer Sargent was an American painter, of Realism.

Painter, 1856 to 1925

John Singer Sargent

Sargent was an American who was born in Florence, trained in Paris and lived in London. He was the most sought-after portrait painter in the world, and the picture he valued most is in New York.

Born: 1856, Florence, Italy
Died: 1925, London, England
Movement: Realism
In New York: 3 works in 1 museum

Where to see John Singer Sargent in New York

Each work with the museum it hangs in. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art3 works

Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau)
1883 to 1884
She stands in profile in black satin, one hand on a table, her skin powdered to the colour of lavender. The right strap of the dress, which once hung off her shoulder, was painted back in place after the Salon.
The Wyndham Sisters
1899
Three daughters of an English landowner in white, on a sofa in their parents' London drawing room, nearly three metres high. The Prince of Wales called them the Three Graces.
Mr. and Mrs. I. N. Phelps Stokes
1897
A young New York couple on their honeymoon: she in a starched white skirt with a straw hat on her hip, he a shadow behind her. It was meant to be a portrait of her with a dog.

The life of John Singer Sargent

John Singer Sargent was born in Florence in 1856 to American parents who spent their lives travelling in Europe. He trained in Paris and was a success at twenty-three. In 1884 he showed at the Salon a portrait of Virginie Gautreau, a famous beauty, in a black dress with one jewelled strap fallen from her shoulder.

The uproar ended his career in France. He repainted the strap, moved to London, and for twenty years painted the rich of England and America. He kept the portrait in his studio for more than thirty years, and in 1916 sold it to the Metropolitan Museum, asking only that the sitter's name be left off. He told the director it was the best thing he had done.

What to know

Madame X caused a scandal at the Paris Salon of 1884
He sold it to the Met in 1916 and called it the best thing he had done
Born in Florence to American parents, and never lived in the United States

Born: 12 January 1856, Florence, Italy
Died: 14 April 1925, London, England