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X-WR-CALNAME:Museums Worcestershire
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UID:MEC-160994f39d798d2894a3f0a756ecb6b5@museumsworcestershire.org.uk
DTSTART:20260523T100000Z
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SUMMARY:Spotlight Talk | Skin. John Singer Sargent and the scandal of Madame X
DESCRIPTION:Saturday 23 May 2026, 11am – 12noon | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum\nBy 1883 John Singer Sargent was establishing what would become a glittering career as the go-to portrait painter of high society. As a young artist in Paris he implored a beautiful socialite to allow him to paint her. Over the following year Sargent laboured over what he later considered to be his masterpiece, the portrait of Virginie Gautreau. The painting, exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1884, shocked its viewers with its connotations of sexual impropriety, and the breaking of class taboos in the artificial colouration of his subject’s skin. It ruined Virginie’s reputation and ended Sargent’s career in Paris, but he would quickly create a new life in England as the portrait painter of the era, creating visions of beauty and swaggering privilege.\nIn his second talk for Worcester’s exhibition on Sargent’s work, art historian Justin Reay discusses Sargent’s approach to painting Virginie Gautreau, including how the sexuality of the artist played a role in this portrait; he describes the public response to the painting now known as ‘Madame X’ and the reasons for the scandal which ensued, and discusses how the painting arose from the self-identity of the sitter which resonates today with modern society’s fascination with how we recreate ourselves as we wish to be seen.\n£10 for the talk; book via the link below. If you’d like to visit the exhibition too, advance booking is available online ( https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/worcester-city-art-gallery-and-museum/john-singer-sargent-an-american-in-worcestershire/p-wjamoz ). There are a variety of admission options to choose from. The rest of the Art Gallery and Museum is free to visit as usual.\nBook tickets\nAbout Justin\nJustin Reay FSA FRHistS\nRetiring from a long career in business in 2001, Justin studied the History of Art and Architecture at the University of Oxford, for whom he became a senior academic manager at the Bodleian Library, advising research scholars, editing manuscripts and consulting on the university’s collections of maritime paintings. He is a published historian and a qualified teacher. He delivered courses in the university’s international residential programmes, and tutors the History of Art and Classical Studies for private students and colleges in Oxford.\nJustin is an Accredited Lecturer for The Arts Society, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and of the Royal Historical Society, and a Member of the Walpole Society.\nTalks and related events\nBite-size Talk | Singer Sargent and the Broadway Colony\nTuesday 10 March 2026, 2pm (fully booked) and 2.45pm.\nHear more about the incredible array of artists that made up the Broadway Colony from curator Claire Cheshire. This talk explores how they lived and worked together in the beautiful Cotswolds and their lasting legacy on British art.\n£4.95 for the talk. Book online or call the Ticketsource box office for tickets 0333 666 3366 ( tel:0333%20666%203366 ).  If you’d like to visit the exhibition John Singer Sargent: an American in Worcestershire too, advance booking is available online.\nSpotlight Talk | John Singer Sargent: landscapes, low life and high society with Justin Reay\nSaturday 25 April 2026, 11am – 12noon.\nIn this talk, given in the context of the exhibition of Worcester’s collection of Sargent’s drawings, art historian Justin Reay explores the artist’s approach to his subjects, his use of light and colour, his unusual composition, and his significance as a painter who engages us with the person or the scene depicted.\n£10 for the talk. Book online ( https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/worcester-city-art-gallery-and-museum/spotlight-talk-john-singer-sargent-landscapes-low-life-and-high-society/p-wjamoz ) or call the Ticketsource box office for tickets 0333 666 3366 ( tel:0333%20666%203366 ).  If you’d like to visit the exhibition John Singer Sargent: an American in Worcestershire too, advance booking is available online.\n
URL:https://www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk/events/spotlight-talk-skin-john-singer-sargent-and-the-scandal-of-madame-x/
ORGANIZER;CN=Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum:MAILTO:gallerymuseum@museumsworcestershire.org.uk
CATEGORIES:2026,Worcester Art Gallery and Museum
LOCATION:Foregate Street, Worcester, WR1 1DT
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