EOS: John Singer Sargent

John Singer Sargent is known as the greatest portrait artist of his era. Step into the glittering world of fashion, scandal and shameless self-promotion that made John Singer Sargent the painter who defined an era and explore his unique creative process and the way in which his portraits captured the spirit of a vibrant and rapidly changing age. 

 

What made Sargent’s ‘swagger’ portraits remarkable was his power over his sitters, what they wore and how they were presented to the audience. Through interviews with curators, contemporary fashionistas and style influencers, this film examines how Sargent’s unique practice has influenced modern art, culture and fashion. 

 

Filmed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Tate Britain, London, the exhibition reveals Sargent’s power to express distinctive personalities, power dynamics and gender identities during this fascinating period of cultural reinvention. 

 

Sargent’s sitters were often wealthy, their clothes costly, but what happens when you turn yourself over to the hands of a great artist? Alongside 50 paintings by Sargent sit stunning items of clothing and accessories worn by his subjects, drawing the audience into the artist’s studio. The manufacture of public identity is as controversial and contested today as it was at the turn of the 20th century, but somehow Sargent’s work transcends the social noise and captures an alluring truth with each brush stroke. 

 

1hr 30mins

 

 

If you have access issues, please contact the Box Office on 01379 652241 to complete your booking. This will enable us to ensure that your visit is as comfortable and safe as possible. For fire safety reasons we are limited on the number of wheelchairs we can accommodate at a performance. For this reason, wheelchair spaces should be reserved in advance to avoid disappointment.