Whistler: The Subtle Art of Creating Nocturnes and Enemies
James Abbott McNeill Whistler, who was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1834, is recognized as the first contemporary artist due to his unique approach and character. In 1843, his father, George Washington Whistler, relocated the family to St. Petersburg, where he sadly passed away from cholera in 1849. After being expelled from West Point in 1854, Whistler moved to Paris in 1855 to study at the École des Beaux-Arts. In 1858, he co-founded the Société des Trois and showcased Symphony in White, No. 1 at the Salon des Refusés in 1863. He released Thames etchings in 1871, encountered a libel case with John Ruskin in 1877, and created etchings in Venice (1879-1880) and Amsterdam (1889-1890). He also directed the Académie Carmen from 1898 to 1901 and designed the Peacock Room.
Key facts
- James Abbott McNeill Whistler was born in 1834 in Lowell, Massachusetts.
- His father moved the family to St. Petersburg in 1843 for a railway contract with Tsar Nicholas I.
- Whistler was expelled from West Point in 1854 and moved to Paris in 1855.
- He co-founded the Société des Trois with Alphonse Legros and Henri Fantin-Latour in 1858.
- Symphony in White, No. 1 (1862) was shown at the 1863 Salon des Refusés.
- His Thames etchings were published in 1871 as sixteen plates.
- He sued John Ruskin for libel after the 1877 Grosvenor Gallery opening and won, but received minimal damages.
- He ran the Académie Carmen from 1898 to 1901, teaching Gwen John and others.
Entities
Artists
- James Abbott McNeill Whistler
- George Washington Whistler
- Edward Poynter
- George du Maurier
- Alphonse Legros
- Henri Fantin-Latour
- Joanna Hiffernan
- Gustave Courbet
- John Ruskin
- Walter Greaves
- Gwen John
- Frederic Clay Bartlett
- Alice Pike Barney
- Mortimer Menpes
- Walter Sickert
- Giovanni Boldini
- François Bonvin
- Ingres
- Frederick Leyland
Institutions
- École des Beaux-Arts
- Société des Trois
- Salon des Refusés
- Grosvenor Gallery
- Fine Art Society
- Académie Carmen
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- National Gallery of Art
- Tate Britain
- Detroit Institute of Arts
- Musée d'Orsay
- Brooklyn Museum
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- masdearte
Locations
- Lowell
- Massachusetts
- United States
- St. Petersburg
- Russia
- Paris
- France
- London
- England
- Venice
- Italy
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Sloane Street
- Bermondsey Wall East
- Wapping High Street
- Lime Wharf
- Prince's Gate
- Bond Street
- Rio de la Fava
- Kensington