John Singer Sargent retrospective at Nationalmuseum Stockholm

The Nationalmuseum in Stockholm presents a comprehensive exhibition of John Singer Sargent (1856–1925), curated by Per Hedström and running until January 13, 2019. Sargent, born in Florence to a wealthy bourgeois family, studied in Paris under Carolus-Duran and at the École des Beaux-Arts in 1874. His cosmopolitan style blends Impressionism, Spanish and Flemish Baroque, and the elegance of Boldini, drawing comparisons with Swedish painter Anders Zorn. The show features portraits of high society, including Dr. Pozzi, Lady Astor (first woman elected to the British Parliament), and friends like Auguste Rodin and Henry James. Sargent also documented urban and natural landscapes from Norway to North Africa, Capri, and Venice. During World War I, he was commissioned by the British government in April 1918 to paint scenes from the Western Front, capturing the horrors of war with a naturalistic yet slightly expressionist touch.