John Singer Sargent is one of the most well known and well-celebrated American painters.  He was born in Florence, Italy in 1856 to American parents, and didn’t set foot in the United States until he was 20 years old.  His infamous portrait of a Parisian woman, entitled Madame X, created a scandal, driving Sargent out of France and over to England.  He eventually made Boston his home, becoming close friends with Isabella Stewart Gardner who was also his patron.  Among other of his paintings at the Gardner is El Jaleo (above), a masterpiece Gardner loved so much she carved out a special location in her mansion with staging and props to exhibit it.

Next fall, local writer Emily Franklin will be at North Hill to talk about her new book The Lioness of Boston. A fictionalized story about Isabella Stewart Gardner.  We can imagine Mr. Sargent will appear from time to time in the story!

You can learn more about Sargent’s life here:

https://www.johnsingersargent.org/biography.html