1834–1903

James McNeill Whistler

James McNeill Whistler was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, spent part of his youth in Russia and briefly attended West Point. He trained in Paris and settled in London. A leading voice of 'art for art's sake,' he gave paintings musical titles such as Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1, the portrait of his mother. He won a famous libel suit against critic John Ruskin in 1878 but was awarded a farthing in damages. He was also a major etcher.

Where to see James McNeill Whistler: Art Institute of Chicago (5 works); The Metropolitan Museum of Art (3 works); National Gallery of Art (6 works); Rijksmuseum (1 work).

Public-domain works: Arrangement in Flesh Color and Brown: Portrait of Arthur Jerome Eddy, 1894; Study for "Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 2: Portrait of Thomas Carlyle", 1872–73; Portrait of Dr. William McNeill Whistler, 1871–73; Study of a Girl's Head and Shoulders, 1896–97; Arrangement in Flesh Colour and Black: Portrait of Theodore Duret, 1883; Arrangement in Black, No. 3: Sir Henry Irving as Philip II of Spain, 1876, reworked 1885; Edward Guthrie Kennedy, 1893–95; Gold and Brown: Self-Portrait, c. 1896-1898; Alexander Arnold Hannay, c. 1896; The Artist in His Studio, 1865–66; George W. Vanderbilt, 1897/1903; Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl, 1861-1863, 1872; Mother of Pearl and Silver: The Andalusian, 1888(?)-1900; Alice Butt, c. 1895; ‘Arrangement in Yellow and Gray’: Effie Deans, c. 1876 - c. 1878.

Exhibitions: James McNeill Whistler, London, May 21, 2026 to September 27, 2026.