Course Information
In this four-part course, learn more about the lure of France for American artists and patrons in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This artistic mecca—both the cultural capital of Paris and artist colonies further afield—offered a change of scenery, top-rate venues for training and exhibiting, and an opportunity for artistic exchange. With Whistler to Cassatt: American Painters in France as a springboard, dive into the rich history of this time and place, look more closely at the works on view, and explore the exhibition with newfound knowledge in hand.
Whistler to Cassatt: The Making of an Exhibition
Impressionism's Summers
Mary, Louisine, and Bertha: Three American Women Who Put Impressionism on the Map
Henry Ossawa Tanner and Black Artists in Paris, c. 1900
Schedule & Location
- Tuesdays, 6–7:15 pm
- November 30, 2021
- January 4, 2022
- January 25, 2022
- March 1, 2022
- This course will take place at the museum in Sharp Auditorium and online via livestream.
- Online registrants will receive a link to access the course session live stream prior to the start of the session.
Ticket Information
Register for individual sessions or the entire course. To register for the in-person course in Sharp Auditorium, please purchase an onsite ticket. To register for the online livestream of the course, please purchase an online ticket.
All course registrants will receive a link to the recorded course session, which will be available to view for two weeks after the course. You do not need to purchase both tickets to access a recording of the course.
- Museum Friends:
- $60 full course
- $15 individual session
- Please log into your Museum Friends account to access discounted tickets.
- Members:
- $68 full course
- $17 individual sessions
- General Public:
- $80 full course
- $20 individual sessions
Session 1
Whistler to Cassatt: The Making of an Exhibition
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and process of bringing the exhibition Whistler to Cassatt: American Painters in France to life.
John Singer Sargent, Fishing for Oysters at Cancale, 1878. Oil paint on canvas; 16-1/8 x 24 in. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Gift of Miss Mary Appleton, 35.708. Photograph © 2020 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Session 2
Impressionism's Summers
Learn about the American artists who studied in Paris, their annual escape to the countryside, and how Impressionists created or transformed these summer artists’ colonies.
Mary Cassatt, Young Girl at a Window, c. 1883–1884. Oil paint on canvas; 39-1/2 x 25-1/2 in. National Gallery of Art, Washington DC: Corcoran Collection, museum Purchase, Gallery Fund. Image courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington. Public Domain.
Session 3
Mary, Louisine, and Bertha: Three American Women Who Put Impressionism on the Map
Learn about the crucial roles played by artist Mary Cassatt and collectors Bertha Honoré Palmer and Louisine Havemeyer in cementing the popularity of Impressionist art in France and the US.
Note: The museum has made the decision to deliver this course session as a virtual event. If you registered for in-person attendance, you will be refunded and only charged the fee for online access.
Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Resurrection of Lazarus, 1896. Oil paint on canvas; 37-1/4 x 47-1/2 in. Musée d'Orsay: acquis en 1897. Photo: Herve Lewandoswki. © RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource, NY.
Session 4
Henry Ossawa Tanner and Black Artists in Paris, c. 1900
Join this discussion on Black US artists who challenged racist stereotypes in Paris during the 1890s and twentieth century.
Lifelong Learning and Accessibility programs are supported by the William Randolph Hearst Endowment for Education Programs, Nancy Benson Education Endowment Fund, CenturyLink Endowment, Jim Kelley and Amie Knox Education Endowment Fund, and the Cooke-Daniels Fund. Support is also provided by the Michael and Karen Fried Community Education Fund and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD).
