John Singer Sargent is known as the greatest portrait artist of his era. What made his ‘swagger’ portraits remarkable was his influence over his often-powerful sitters, what they wore and how they were presented to the audience. Through interviews with curators, contemporary fashionistas and style influencers, Exhibition on Screen’s feature-length documentary John Singer Sargent: Fashion & Swagger will examine how Sargent’s unique practice and breathtaking art has influenced modern art, culture and fashion.
Filmed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Tate Britain, London, the film explores Sargent’s power to express distinctive personalities, power dynamics and gender identities during this fascinating period of cultural reinvention. Alongside 50 of Sargent’s finest paintings sit stunning items of clothing and accessories worn by his subjects, drawing the audience into the artist’s studio a century ago. Step into the glittering world of fashion, scandal and shameless self-promotion that made John Singer Sargent the painter who defined an era.
John Singer Sargent: Fashion & Swagger is in cinemas worldwide from 16 April 2024.
