The Artist’s Mother: Whistler and Philadelphia

The Iconic Painting that Inspired Local Artists Returns to Philadelphia After 142 Years

On View June 10 – October 29, 2023

The Artist's Mother Seated, in an Oriental Headress, Half Length, 1792, Francesco Novelli, Italian, etching, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Artist's Mother, 1871, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, oil on canvas, RMN-Grand Palais_Art Resource NY

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Les derniers jours d’enfance, 1883-85, Cecilia Beaux, oil on canvas, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Gift of Cecilia Drinker Saltonstall

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Portrait of the Artist's Mother , 1897, Henry Ossawa Tanner, oil on canvas_Philadelphia Museum of Art

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Sunday Morning, 1939, Dox Thrash, etching, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Last Sickness_1953_Alice Neel_oil on canvas_Philadelphia Museum of Art

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproduciImportant: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.

May 23, 2023 - The Philadelphia Museum of Art celebrates this exceptional loan from the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, in a new exhibition that explores the portrait’s creation and its legacy in our city. James Abbott McNeill Whistler’s iconic portrayal of his mother, Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Artist’s Mother, will be on view in Philadelphia for the first time in 142 years. This exhibition, The Artist’s Mother: Whistler and Philadelphia, will bring Whistler’s portrait into dialogue with works by artists associated with Philadelphia—Cecilia Beaux, Henry Ossawa Tanner, John Sloan, Dox Thrash, Alice Neel, and Sidney Goodman.

When Whistler’s portrait of his mother, Anna Matilda McNeill Whistler, was exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1881 it was only the second time Whistler’s work had been seen in the United States. As the exhibition organizers hoped, the artist’s celebrity and flair for publicity drew attention to the painting. Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Artist’s Mother, puzzled audiences as did its somber palette and sparse details. The work, however, exerted a powerful force, and just as Whistler was inspired by Rembrandt’s etchings of his own mother, so too Philadelphia artists have been spurred by Whistler and their own ambitions to depict their mothers. Models of motherhood unite this exhibition that includes paintings, etchings, charcoals, and pastels.

Whistler was surprised by the degree to which the public engaged with the subject. Years later, he wrote: “To me it is interesting as a picture of my mother, but what can or ought the public to care about the identity of the portrait?” It turned out that the public cared greatly about the connection between child and parent as painter and sitter. The painting, known today informally as Whistler’s Mother, is one of the most recognizable in the world.

“The return of Whistler’s painting to Philadelphia is a rare chance to explore its extraordinary journey from influential first showing to American icon,” said Sasha Suda, George D. Widener Director and CEO. “But the show’s real opportunity is the subject of artists and their mothers, with a selection of works that should certainly be known better. PMA is proud to offer the visiting Whistler as catalyst and inspiration.”

The Artist’s Mother: Whistler and Philadelphia is organized by Jennifer Thompson, Gloria and Jack Drosdick Curator of European Painting & Sculpture, and Curator of the John G. Johnson Collection.

“This exhibition highlights the intimacy and vulnerability that is present when artist and subject are connected by a deep emotional bond,” said Thompson. “It is fascinating to see mothers through the eyes of eight very different artists and to witness their collaboration in works that held private and public meaning.”

Support
The Artist’s Mother: Whistler and Philadelphia is generously supported by the Laura and William C. Buck Endowment for Exhibitions and other generous donors.

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