Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau) (1884) by John Singer Sargent

John Singer Sargent’s Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau) (1884) is a striking portrait of Parisian socialite Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, whose unconventional beauty—marked by her signature lavender-powdered skin—captivated the artist.Sargent, an American expatriate seeking recognition in Parisian high society, chose her as his subject to create a bold statement, meticulously capturing her dramatic pose in a sleek black satin gown that starkly contrasts her pale complexion. The painting sparked scandal at the 1884 Paris Salon due to its sensual undertones, particularly the original depiction of her right shoulder strap slipping provocatively off her shoulder, which critics deemed indecent. Despite Sargent’s defense of its realism, public ridicule forced him to repaint the strap to appear securely fastened, though the controversy tarnished both his and Gautreau’s reputations. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1916, the work now stands as a testament to artistic ambition and the tension between societal norms and creative daring, revealing layers of intention through modern techniques like infrared reflectography that uncover Sargent’s revisions.