John Singer Sargent : éblouir Paris

Exhibition at the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, 23 September 2025 - 11 January 2026

Born in Italy to American parents, painter John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) spent most of his career in London and most of his life travelling, but Paris was much more than just a stopover for him. When he moved there in 1874, the capital was buzzing with excitement and the young artist found his calling. Trained in the studios of Carolus-Duran and Léon Bonnat, Sargent charmed the whole of Paris. With his virtuoso brushwork, powerful portraits and elegant gaze, he imposed his unique style. The French artistic community hailed this extraordinary talent, which sometimes shocked, before recognition gradually gave way to a certain mistrust... and oblivion in the 20th century.

This catalogue of the first monographic exhibition devoted to Sargent in France traces the young artist's meteoric rise from his arrival in Paris to the mid-1880s, when he moved to London after the scandal caused by his portrait of Madame Gautreau (Madame X) at the Salon.

One hundred years after the artist's death, this book sheds new light on his Parisian period – undoubtedly the most decisive and vibrant of his career. It brings together more than 90 works, some of which have never been shown in France.