John Singer Sargent

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was an American expatriate painter widely considered the leading portrait artist of his generation. Born in Florence to American parents, he trained under Carolus-Duran in Paris and established himself as the society portraitist of choice for the Anglo-American elite.

His Madame X (1884) caused a scandal at the Paris Salon, but his later portraits of Edwardian aristocrats and American industrialists brought him fame and wealth. Sargent also produced brilliant watercolors and murals. His virtuoso brushwork places him among the greatest technical painters in Western art.