The story behind the legendary John Singer Sargent painting that
propelled the artist to international renown but condemned his
subject to a life of public ridicule. John Singer Sargent's Madame X
is one of the world's best-known portraits. As the Metropolitan's
most frequently requested painting for loans, it travels to museums
around the globe. The image of "Madame X" decorates book and magazine
covers, greeting cards and screen savers. She's even been
immortalized as a Madame Alexander doll. Few people, though, know the
fascinating story behind the painting. "Madame X" was actually a
twenty-three-year-old New Orleans Creole, Virginie Gautreau, who
moved to Paris and quickly became the "it girl" of her day. All the
leading artists wanted to paint her, but it was Sargent, a relative
nobody, who won the commission. Gautreau and Sargent must have
recognized in each other a like-minded hunger for fame. Unveiled at
the 1884 Paris Salon, Gautreau's portrait did generate the attention
she craved-but it led to infamy rather than stardom. Sargent had
painted one strap of Gautreau's dress dangling from her shoulder,
suggesting, to outraged Parisian viewers, either the prelude or the
aftermath of sex. Her reputation irreparably damaged, Gautreau
retired from public life, destroying all the mirrors in her home so
she would never have to look at herself again. Why had Sargent chosen
to portray her in such a provoc-ative manner? Was the painting, with
the scandal it generated, the machination of a sexually conflicted
man who desired a woman and a lifestyle he could never possess?
Drawing on documents from private collections and other previously
unexamined materials and featuring a cast of characters including
Oscar Wilde and Richard Wagner, Strapless is an enthralling tale of
art and celebrity, obsession and betrayal.
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