Madame X [John Singer Sargent]

Have John Singer Sargent paint you in a sexy dress and suddenly all hell breaks loose!

Originally titled Portrait de Mme *** and changed to Madame X.

Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau is what modern day socialite and reality stars should aim to be so we can stop having the Kardashians trying to #BreakTheInternet.

Virginie’s mother was an ambitious social climber and was thrilled when she found out her daughter was going to marry Pierre Gautreau, a wealthy Parisian banker. There were rumors of infidelity though they were never confirmed.

Exceedingly beautiful and graceful Virginie became the talk of the town. She would use lavender tinted body powder to complement her skin and dyed her hair with henna to further accentuate her features.

In a fun twist, Virginie didn’t commission the portrait and rather, Sargent, who was mildly obsessed, asked to paint her.

The following things are all part of the one event that led to the painting’s scandal:

Proper ladies of high society are not used as models for lowly artists and for Virginie to agree to this was incredulous.

The painting was exhibited in the 1884 Paris Salon and Virginie once again became the talk of the town, but in ways she didn’t want. For some reason a naked goddess or prostitute is no big deal but put a sexy dress on a confident socialite and all hell breaks loose. Leaving it to the imagination was just too much for Paris to bear.

The original painting had a fallen strap on her right shoulder that totally happened in real life. I suppose it seemed like she was getting undressed. After the exhibit opened, Virginie and her mother asked Sargent to take the painting down as they and the artist had to go into hiding to avoid public mockery, but the Salon doesn’t allow for changes during the exhibition so up it stayed.

Another problem was the purplish hue of her skin.

The portrait is a whopping 7 feet tall and really gets in your face.

The New York Times said the painting was “caricature” and The Times of London only said it was “most interesting.”

Poor Sargent was faced with the first negative criticism of his work and quickly left for London.

Sargent fixed the strap and sold it to the Met for $1,000 in 1916.

You can visit Virginie’s birthplace at Parlange Plantation near New Road, Lousiana.

There are two movies titled Madame X (1937 and a 1966 remake) about a wealthy socialite who will do anything to protect her son.

Here is what Wikipedia says about Portrait of Madame X

Madame X or Portrait of Madame X is a portrait painting by John Singer Sargent of a young socialite, Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, wife of the French banker Pierre Gautreau. Madame X was painted not as a commission, but at the request of Sargent. It is a study in opposition. Sargent shows a woman posing in a black satin dress with jeweled straps, a dress that reveals and hides at the same time. The portrait is characterized by the pale flesh tone of the subject contrasted against a dark-colored dress and background.

The scandal resulting from the painting's controversial reception at the Paris Salon of 1884 amounted to a temporary setback to Sargent while in France, though it may have helped him later establish a successful career in Britain and America.

Check out the full Wikipedia article about Portrait of Madame X