Publisher's Synopsis
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) made his debut on the artistic scene at a decisive moment in the history of art and became a pioneering figure. Whilst the impressionists were embodying the epitome of the avant-garde, Whistler's paintings reached a level of abstraction that had not yet been achieved. His portraits from this time in his life became his most well-renowned. His creativity, elegance and personality fascinated his entourage. A close friend of Stéphane Mallarmé and admired by Marcel Proust, Whistler played the perfect roles of the seductive dandy and the sentimental socialite, but all the while being both an astonishing artist and a bold innovator.
