Fashioned by Sargent at the MFA
December 20, 2023
December 20, 2023
Curator’s Tour of Fashioned by Sargent,” Museum of Fine Arts, December 20, 1-2 PM
MFA's Croll Senior Curator of American Paintings Erica Hirshler will be taking our group on a private one-hour tour through this exhibit. Fashioned by Sargent explores the artist’s complex relationship with his often-affluent clients and their clothes. Alongside about 50 paintings by Sargent, over a dozen period garments and accessories shed new light on the relationship between fashion and this beloved artist’s creative practice.
At Dr. Hishler's insistence, this tour is limited to 20 people (BOLLI members only).
This opportunity was first offered to members of the Cultural Excursions Special Interest Group and its e-list. At this point, it is wait list only. If you would like to be placed on the wait list, please contact Jennifer Coplon at jencoplon@gmail.com. For MFA members, timed tickets for 1 PM on December 20th must be reserved. For non-members of the museum, tickets are discounted to $27, payable to Jennifer by Zelle, Venmo or check.
The group will meet in the museum cafeteria for lunch following the tour.
If we cannot accommodate you on the tour, there is still time to see this special exhibit, which runs until January 15.
Watch this video for a preview of the tour. Below is some background on the exhibit.
In portraits by John Singer Sargent (1856–1925), sitters assume elegant stances, the fabric of their dress richly depicted in broad, sensuous strokes of paint. Sargent brought his subjects to life, but he did much more than simply record what appeared before him. He often chose what his sitters wore and, even if they arrived in his studio dressed in the latest fashions, he frequently simplified and altered the details. Exploiting dress was an integral part of his artistry.
Organized with Tate Britain, “Fashioned by Sargent” explores the artist’s complex relationship with his often-affluent clients and their clothes. The exhibition reveals Sargent’s power over his sitters’ images by considering the liberties he took with sartorial choices to express distinctive personalities, social positions, professions, gender identities, and nationalities. Alongside about 50 paintings by Sargent, over a dozen period garments and accessories shed new light on the relationship between fashion and this beloved artist’s creative practice.
“The coat is the picture,” Sargent once told Graham Robertson, clearly articulating the role dress played in his work. The exhibition features Robertson’s portrait as well as style icons like Madame X, Lady Agnew, and Dr. Pozzi at Home. Visitors can also see several paintings together with the garments worn by the sitters, among them Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth with her beetle-wing-encrusted costume, and Mrs. Charles Inches (Louise Pomeroy) with her red velvet evening gown. Step into the making of a Sargent portrait and consider ideas of curating—and controlling—one’s image.
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