The Musée d'Orsay is dedicating an exhibition to John Singer Sargent until January 11, 2026. Recognized in the United States and the United Kingdom as one of the major painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, his name and work remain largely unknown in France. Yet it was in France that he trained, built up his network of artists, and enjoyed his first successes.
After beginning his apprenticeship at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, John Singer Sargent arrived in Paris at the age of 18 in 1874. He was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris with the aim of perfecting his drawing skills. He was a student of Carolus Duran and also took classes with Léon Bonnat. In 1877, he won third prize in the ornamental drawing competition. This drawing, which is kept in the collections of the School, is on display in the exhibition.
Designed in partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the exhibition traces his career between 1874 and 1884. It brings together more than 90 paintings by John Singer Sargent, some of which have never been shown in France.
The collections of the Beaux-Arts de Paris also hold two portraits of John Singer Sargent in his studio, shown below
For more information, visit Alexandrine: https://alexandrine.beauxartsparis.fr/cms/articleview/id/574
Dessin d'ornement Fusain et crayon noir
Atelier M. Sargent Epreuve sur papier albuminé
Atelier M. Sargent Epreuve sur papier albuminé
