The Inscrutable Eye
Our collection offers a rich trove of works by John Singer Sargent. Best known are his legendary Portrait of Isabella Stewart Gardner and the monumental El Jaleo, but dozens of other works by Sargent are displayed throughout the Museum. This exhibition offers a look at the vibrant watercolors Sargent made for his own pleasure that were avidly collected by Gardner towards the end of her life. With their brilliant technique and fresh colors, these pictures reveal the stupendous qualities of Sargent’s draftsmanship. The exhibition brings together for the first time a selection of watercolors and personal artifacts that shed light on the lifelong friendship between Gardner and Sargent based on their shared passion for art. — Oliver Tostmann, William and Lia Poorvu Cur ator of the Collection
ABOVE COVER
John Singer Sargent, San Giuseppe di Castello, Venice, about 1903 John Singer Sargent, Mrs. Gardner in White, 1922