| Portrait of Madame X | |
|---|---|
,_John_Singer_Sargent,_1884_(unfree_frame_crop).jpg) | |
| Artist | John Singer Sargent |
| Year | 1884 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 234.95 cm × 109.86 cm (92.5 in × 43.25 in) |
| Location | Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan |
| Website | Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau) |
Madame X or Portrait of Madame X is a portrait painting by John Singer Sargent of a young socialite, Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, wife of the French banker Pierre Gautreau. Madame X was painted not as a commission, but at the request of Sargent.[1] It is a study in opposition. Sargent shows a woman posing in a black satin dress with jeweled straps, a dress that reveals and hides at the same time. The portrait is characterized by the pale flesh tone of the subject contrasted against a dark-colored dress and background.
The scandal resulting from the painting's controversial reception at the Paris Salon of 1884 amounted to a temporary setback to Sargent while in France,[2] though it may have helped him later establish a successful career in Britain and America.[3]
- ^ Kilmurray, Elaine, Ormond, Richard. "John Singer Sargent", p 101. Tate Gallery Publishing Ltd, 1999. ISBN 0-87846-473-5
- ^ Ormond, 1999. p 28.
- ^ Floryan, Meg, "Sargent's Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau)", Smarthistory, accessed January 5, 2013. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011.