James McNeill Whistler

Alice Pike Barney, James McNeill Whistler, 1898, pastel on paper mounted on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Laura Dreyfus Barney and Natalie Clifford Barney in memory of their mother, Alice Pike Barney, 1951.14.110
Copied Alice Pike Barney, James McNeill Whistler, 1898, pastel on paper mounted on paperboard, 19 × 19 14 in. (48.6 × 48.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Laura Dreyfus Barney and Natalie Clifford Barney in memory of their mother, Alice Pike Barney, 1951.14.110
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Artwork Details

Title
James McNeill Whistler
Date
1898
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
19 × 19 14 in. (48.6 × 48.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Laura Dreyfus Barney and Natalie Clifford Barney in memory of their mother, Alice Pike Barney
Mediums
Mediums Description
pastel on paper mounted on paperboard
Classifications
Keywords
  • Occupation — art — painter
  • Dress — accessory — eye wear
  • Portrait male — Whistler, James Abbot Mc Neill
  • Portrait male — Whistler, James Abbot Mc Neill — head
  • Occupation — art — printmaker
Object Number
1951.14.110

Artwork Description

The popularity and financial success of Whistler's Venetian works marked a turning point in his career, and the artist promoted his energetic style with a colorful public persona. His lectures and awards earned respect, while contentious relations with clients and critics garnered less favorable press. Artist and Washington, D.C., socialite Alice Pike Barney captures some of Whistler's intensity and arrogance in this dynamic pastel. Barney toured Europe at an early age and became a patron and collector as well as a prolific artist in her own right. After her death, her daughters donated her studio and its contents to the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Pastels were among her favorite media, and she honed these skills in Paris in the 1890s, counting Whistler (another expert in pastels) among her instructors.

Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano, 2021.