Whistler's Mother: an American icon

Abstract

In 1871 James McNeill Whistler painted the famous portrait of his mother, Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Painter's Mother. It enjoyed a colourful history: threatened by rejection at the Royal Academy, pawned by the artist, bought by the Musee du Luxembourg in Paris, it now hangs in the Musee d'Orsay, Paris. Through exhibitions, publications and caricatures, it has become one of the most familiar images of the century, and a great American icon. This illustrated volume looks at the genesis and history of the portrait, and examines the relationship between mother and son that inspired the painting. It explores the growth of Whistler's Mother as a potent image, its appearance inspiring mass pilgrimages and adulation, and looks more broadly at the portrait of the artist's mother as a productive source of artistic inspiration following Whistler. The book is published to coincide with the centenary of Whistler's death in 2003, marked by a range of exhibitions internationally.