Sargent & Paris at The MET

In arranging my photographs from viewing the new show Sargent & Paris, now through August 3, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I was struck by the unique use of color and enfilade and curved walls in the architecture of an exhibit for paintings. Dare I say, I enjoyed those details almost as much as I enjoyed the artworks as such! The nearly-black walls that frame the four most important pieces in the exhibit are showstoppers by and of themselves. Floor-to-ceiling custom wall creations, they extend stunning curved niches to each of the notable Sargent works that the curators deem worthy of extra attention. Two of these four works are found at the end of intriguing enfilades enhanced by wall colorings that change shade ever so slightly in each successive gallery. The first three galleries have curved walls that are visible as you move through the space in the opposite direction. Two of those galleries have beautiful French grey-green hues that don’t extend all the way up the gallery walls. Patrick Herron, Senior Exhibition Designer at the MET, is responsible for the stunning architecture and design of the exhibition. It’s truly a ground-breaking achievement, five years in the making, and is worth a trip in person to experience.

The massive projection wall at the end of the exhibit is also noteworthy. It shows us the exact placement of Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau) in the Paris Salon Exhibition of 1884, the pièce de résistance of the show and the culmination of Sargent’s ten years in Paris. The first of its kind to record Sargent’s time in Paris, this show captures his arrival at age 18 for the ten years up until his exit to London after the scandalous 1884 Salon. This article is a great accounting of the outrage that Madame X caused at the salon unveiling. The show includes many unique details, from a photograph of the original Madame X before Sargent repainted the right strap, to comical cartoons characterizing the French sentiment of the painting. If you miss it in New York, the show travels next to the Musée d’Orsay in Paris in September, where Madame X will return to Paris for the first time since the Salon of 1884! I wonder what the exhibition design will look like there?!

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)
In The Luxembourg Gardens, 1879
© Courtesy of Philadelphia Museum of ArtJohn Singer Sargent (1856-1925)
Fumée d’ambre gris (Smoke of Ambergris), 1880
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MassachusettsSenior Exhibition Designer Patrick Herron in the Nike’s and Max Hollein CEO and Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)
Study of Mme Gautreau (Unfinished Replica of “Madame X”), 1884
Tate London, Presented by Lord Duveen through the Art Fund, 1925 (NO4102)John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)
Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau), 1883–84
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund, 1916 (16.53)

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)
Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau) (detail), 1883–84
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund, 1916 (16.53)

Unknown artist
Photograph of “Madame X,” from Album of Photographic Reproduction of Paintings by John Singer Sargent, Ca. 1884-85
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Mrs. Francis Ormond, 1950 (N.A.2024.9) John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)
Madame Gautreau Drinking a Toast, 1882-83
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

Photography Beth Horta for Sweet Sabelle.