The month ofOctober 2025 is full of great exhibitions to discover, such as"Sargent - the Parisian years (1874-1884)" at the Musée d'Orsay from October 15, 2025 to January 21, 2026.
John Singer Sargent, often overlooked in France despite his training in Paris, is at the heart of this exceptional retrospective. The exhibition covers a key decade in his career, marked by his apprenticeship with Carolus-Duran, his early successes and the influence of the Parisian art scene. Among the key works on display are Dr Pozzi chez lui (1881) and Les Filles d'Edward Darley Boit (1882), true masterpieces of his innovative style and technical virtuosity. These portraits, which brilliantly capture a changing cosmopolitan society, show why Sargent is often compared to the great masters such as Velázquez.
A key moment in the exhibition is dedicated to the famous scandal of Madame X (1884), a bold portrait of Virginie Gautreau that provoked fierce criticism at the Paris Salon for its provocative modernity. This painting, on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is presented for the first time in France since 1884.
The exhibition goes beyond portraits, highlighting Sargent's travels in Europe and North Africa, which inspired his exotic and sensual landscapes and scenes. It also highlights his lasting links with France, where he campaigned for Manet ' sL'Olympia to be included in national collections in 1890, and where his portrait of the dancer Carmencita was acquired by the Musée du Luxembourg in 1892.
This retrospective, the fruit of a collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, offers a rare opportunity to rediscover one of the greatest portrait painters of the late 19th century, and to plunge into the Parisian years of an artist who was both daring and visionary.
Dates and Opening Time
From October 15, 2025 to January 21, 2026
More information
Closed Mondays 9.30am to 6pm daily and until 9.45pm on Thursdays
