Whistler's Mother Takes Center Stage at Major Tate Britain Retrospective

James McNeill Whistler's iconic painting 'Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1', commonly known as Whistler's Mother, is a highlight of a major retrospective at Tate Britain in London, running through September 27. The exhibition, titled 'James McNeill Whistler', is Europe's largest-ever retrospective of the artist's work, featuring 150 works including paintings, drawings, prints, and designs. The painting, on loan from the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, depicts Whistler's mother Anna McNeill Whistler in mourning clothes, seated in profile. Whistler originally intended a full-length standing portrait but adapted the pose because his 67-year-old mother could not stand for long. The work, completed in 1871 when Whistler was 37, has become an American icon, often called the American Mona Lisa. Whistler, born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1834, was expelled from West Point and studied art in Paris under Charles Gleyre before moving to London in 1859. The exhibition also includes a sketch of his niece, the self-portrait 'Gold and Brown' from 1901, and early notebooks shown for the first time. It is the first Whistler retrospective in Europe in 30 years.