The Musée d'Orsay is bringing renewed attention to American painter John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) through a major retrospective exhibition titled "Dazzling Paris." While celebrated across the Atlantic, Sargent remains relatively unknown to French audiences, despite his significant contributions to the Parisian art scene and his creation of what many consider "America's Mona Lisa" - the famous Portrait of Madame Gautreau.
The exhibition focuses on the decisive years Sargent spent in the French capital between 1874 and 1885, a period during which he trained at the Carolus-Duran studio and developed his distinctive pictorial style within the vibrant Parisian artistic community. During these formative years, he painted his most audacious portraits, including the renowned Portrait of Madame Gautreau, which would later become a defining work of his career.
"Dazzling Paris" presents approximately one hundred paintings, sketches, and documents that trace the artistic ascension of a painter fascinated by light, texture, and surface effects. The exhibition reveals how this heir to Impressionist modernity shaped both his artistic style and personality in the effervescent world of Parisian art. Sargent's work demonstrates his mastery as both a painter of light and an exceptional portraitist of Parisian high society.
Art critic Sally Bonn, a lecturer in aesthetics at the University of Picardie Jules Verne and exhibition curator, praised the show's brilliance: "Dazzling Paris is truly a dazzling exhibition through its mastery of light. It reveals John Singer Sargent as a true painter of white and an exceptional portraitist. His treatment of fabrics - laces, tulles, silks - testifies to great mastery of his art. With the Portrait of Madame Gautreau, a figure both sensual and cadaverous, Sargent plays on the tension between seduction and strangeness. His brushwork, both fluid and sketched, gives his works great sensuality, particularly perceptible in his remarkable male portraits."
Corinne Rondeau, a lecturer in aesthetics and art sciences at the University of Nîmes and art critic, offered additional insight: "John Singer Sargent is a true virtuoso of painting: looking at his canvases, you would think you hear notes by Chopin. The Musée d'Orsay exhibition, centered on a decade of his career, reveals his talent as a great portraitist of Parisian high society. His models from the bourgeoisie embody the fashion and prestige of a class that stages itself through portraiture. Sargent dares everything: bold reds, hypnotic compositions, sometimes mannered gestures, notably in the treatment of hands. His Portrait of Madame Gautreau marks the pinnacle of this flamboyant style."
However, Rondeau expressed some regret about the exhibition's scope: "The exhibition covers only about ten years of his work and I regret the absence of the rest of his oeuvre, notably what he did in nature, where his work on light is dazzling." This focused approach, while providing deep insight into Sargent's Parisian period, leaves viewers wanting to explore more of his diverse artistic output.
The exhibition features notable works including "In the Luxembourg Gardens" from 1879 and "En Route for Fishing" from 1878, both oil on canvas paintings that demonstrate Sargent's evolving technique and his ability to capture both intimate moments and grand society portraits. These works showcase his fascination with light effects and his skill in rendering different textures and materials with remarkable precision.
"Dazzling Paris" runs from September 23, 2025, to January 11, 2026, at the Musée d'Orsay. A comprehensive catalog will be available under the direction of Caroline Corbeau-Parsons and Paul Perrin, co-published by Musée d'Orsay and Gallimard. The exhibition represents a significant opportunity for French audiences to discover and appreciate the work of an artist who played a crucial role in the international art scene while maintaining strong ties to Paris during his formative years.
