John Singer Sargent and the Gilded Age

At the end of the nineteenth century, great wealth in America demanded great art, especially portraits of the rich and famous. High society sought out John Singer Sargent, the leading portrait artist of this era, to capture their opulence and glittering personalities that defined the Gilded Age. He also painted intimate portraits of friends, writers, and fellow artists who inspired his life. View many of John Singer Sargent’s most famous portraits, hear biographic details of the artist and his subjects, and see revealing videos that bring to life this new world of opulence in America.