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John Singer Sargent
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Deborah Davis
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Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X Paperback – May 3, 2004

by Deborah Davis (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 538 ratings
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The subject of John Singer Sargent's most famous painting was twenty-three-year-old New Orleans Creole Virginie Gautreau, who moved to Paris and quickly became the "it girl" of her day. A relative unknown at the time, Sargent won the commission to paint her; the two must have recognized in each other a like-minded hunger for fame.

Unveiled at the 1884 Paris Salon, Gautreau's portrait generated the attention she craved-but it led to infamy rather than stardom. Sargent had painted one strap of Gautreau's dress dangling from her shoulder, suggesting either the prelude to or the aftermath of sex. Her reputation irreparably damaged, Gautreau retired from public life, destroying all the mirrors in her home.

Drawing on documents from private collections and other previously unexamined materials, and featuring a cast of characters including Oscar Wilde and Richard Wagner, Strapless is a tale of art and celebrity, obsession and betrayal.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    TarcherPerigee
  4. Publication date
    May 3, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    5.47 x 0.85 x 5.2 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    158542336X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1585423361
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Readers will enjoy this brisk, sometimes breathless account of the creation of the work the artist once called his best...A fascinating commentary on the evanescence of fame and beauty." --Kirkus Reviews

"An entertaining, observant novel about the gorgeous, enigmatic Madame X." --from Bustle.com's roundup of "11 Novels Every Art History-Lover Should Pick Up"

"A stunner about a stunner." —The Philadelphia Inquirer

"The book's pace is lively and its breadth impressive." —Houston Chronicle

About the Author

Deborah Davis is the author of Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and his Black and White Ball (Wiley, April 2006), and Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X (Tarcher/Putnam, 2003). Her most recent book is The Secret Lives Of Frames: One Hundred Years of Art and Artistry (Filapacchi, 2007).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ TarcherPerigee; Reprint edition (May 3, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 158542336X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1585423361
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.47 x 0.85 x 5.2 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 538 ratings

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  1. John Singer Sargent

    John Singer Sargent

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  2. Deborah Davis

    Deborah Davis

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    Deborah Davis is the author of nine narrative non-fiction books, including Fabritius and the Goldfinch, an Amazon Kindle Single, the best selling Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X (Tarcher/Putnam, 2003), Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball (Wiley, 2006), The Secret Lives of Frames: 100 Years of Art and Artistry (Filipacchi Publishing, 2007), Gilded: How Newport Became the Richest Resort in America (Wiley, 2009), The Oprah Winfrey Show: Reflections on an American Legacy, the authorized history of twenty-five years of the landmark television show and its legendary host (Abrams, 2011), and Guest of Honor: Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner that Shocked a Nation (Atria, 2012), which won the prestigious Phillis Wheatley Award for best work of History in 2013, and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award; The Trip (Atria, 2015), the story of Andy Warhol’s adventures on a cross-country road-trip in 1963; and The Art of Southern Charm (Diversion,2017), which she co-wrote with Bravo celebrity Patricia Altschul, who reigns as Charleston's most captivating grande dame,

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
538 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Bruce Loveitt
5.0 out of 5 stars "The unpaintable beauty and hopeless laziness..."
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2003
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The title of this review refers to something John Singer Sargent wrote in a letter when he was attempting to complete the "Madame X," painting. He was having a great deal of difficulty in deciding what pose Madame Gautreau should adopt for the painting. It didn't help that the 24 year old woman appeared to suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder: she hated to hold a pose. She was rich, she was young, and, well, she had other things to do! I have to admit that when I read on the book jacket that "Deborah Davis is a writer and veteran film executive...",I was a bit put off. I thought, "Oh, this is going to be presented in a 'Hollywood' way, with a lot of style but no substance." Well, shame on me. Ms. Davis (who admits she is not an art "expert") has written a very good book. Although the book is relatively brief, the author covers a lot of ground. Even though the book is not meant to be a biography of Sargent, we still get a pretty good feel for what the man was like: sensitive, intelligent, ambitious, lonely and sexually conflicted. Sargent had already made a pretty good name for himself before he painted Amelie Gautreau. By painting a celebrated beauty, however, he was going for the brass ring - he was hoping to become even more well known and to generate more commissions for portraits of the rich and famous. When Ms. Davis talks about the actual public display of the painting at the 1884 Paris Salon, she also is quite good. We learn about the quirks of a culture where it was perfectly fine to have acres of naked flesh cavorting in a historical painting, but it was scandalous to have a fallen shoulder strap if you were painting a real, contemporary woman. Although this is not an academic work, it is still fascinating from a psychological/sociological standpoint. While Sargent was working on the portrait, Amelie (and her mother) thought it was wonderful. However, after the critics trashed it (and the public found it immoral), mother and daughter wanted nothing more to do with it. Sargent kept the painting because Amelie Gautreau wouldn't buy it. She had wanted fame, but not of this sort. Sargent had to "re-group" and for later Salons came up with paintings that were non-controversial but still showed off his virtuosity. After awhile the scandal was forgotten and Sargent was back in vogue. (In a classic case of "Be careful what you wish for, you might get it," in later years Sargent was so much in demand for portraits that he no longer wanted to do them. As Ms. Davis writes, "Sargent derisively spelled the word 'paughtrait,' and declared 'No more mugs!' to whoever would listen.) As Amelie Gautreau got older, and as the public forgot about her, she, sadly, began longing for any kind of fame. She commissioned other portraits, none of which could measure up to Sargent's. In 1891, in a pictorial shout for attention, she had Gustave Courtois do a portrait of her: she posed in a white gown (rather than the black gown she had worn for Sargent), with, yes, a fallen shoulder strap. If this book has any fault, it is that Amelie Gautreau comes across as a bit of a cipher. All we see are her vanity and attempts to bring attention to herself. It's a bit of a caricature, really. I'm not sure if that's because there's a paucity of information about her (especially when compared to Sargent) or if it's because it bolsters Ms. Davis's argument that with "Madame X," Sargent was trying to portray an exemplar of a shallow segment of society. Still, as a study of Sargent, of ambition - both professional and social, and of the late 19th century Paris art world (and of how artistic reputations rise and fall like the tides), this is a very rewarding read.
148 people found this helpful
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Avid Reader
4.0 out of 5 stars Singer Sargent and his writer friends
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2021
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I had no knowledge of this painting or its history. Loved the narrative, a quick read and I was particularly fascinated that several of the major personalities showcased here, served as the models for charters in novels by Henry Hames and others as they all moved in the same circles. Interesting art history.
One person found this helpful
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CHAVEL CHRISTINE
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book !
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2021
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I bought a lot of copies of this book to my friends and family. Deborah Davis is a superb writer. Strapless is a wonderfully entertaining and thought provoking book , rich in details about life in Louisiana in the pre civil war era, then the war , then the Belle Epoque in Paris , the 1970 war there and the life and the Rich and Famous , including the rise and fall of one of it's most celebrated American woman in Paris ..Mrs Virginie Amelie GAUTREAU whose portait painted by John Singer Sargent caused a scandal and can now be admired at the Metropolitan museum in New York City a Portait of Madam X ...A great book for any book club. I definitively recommend it .
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Tim
3.0 out of 5 stars More of a novel than a historical review
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2022
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I enjoyed the book, primarily because I'm fascinated with Sargent, this painting, and Madame Gautreau. I'd read anything on the topic.
The author relies too much on speculation, rumor, and dime store psychoanalysis. It seems that a theme was imagined beforehand, and then the book was written to advance the theme instead of allowing the research to be presented without leading the reader. The theme is that the painting ruined Gautreau. I remain unconvinced of this, although it does seem irrefutable that the negative reception to the painting's public debut did distress her very much and prompted Sargent's already intended move to London two years later.
Better editing would have helped also. There are numerous dead end threads- details on figures that aren't really germane to the principals of the story.
It is an entertaining read. There are illustrations, mainly Sargent paintings, which aide the flow of the story. There is some well researched background on Sargent, Gautreau, the Salon, and Paris of that Age. The reader is transported to the time and place. I'm glad I bought it and would recommend it, with the caveats mentioned above.
6 people found this helpful
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Barb in the GTA
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than The Gilded Age fiction!
Reviewed in Canada on April 17, 2022
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This retelling of a true-life Victorian scandal is MUCH better than the Gilded Age on TV!
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MS D.
5.0 out of 5 stars Very enlightening read !
Reviewed in France on September 13, 2023
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Very keen on this artists work .
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celia adams
5.0 out of 5 stars Singer Sargent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 15, 2014
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A very fascinating book which I greatly enjoyed. This was a story that has not been told before in such detail.
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Desiree Kendrick
4.0 out of 5 stars A Striking Account of the painter and subject
Reviewed in Canada on February 14, 2015
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Art enthusiasts will enjoy this historical and vivid account of the painter and his muse over their lifetime. The story will give readers a greater appreciation for the painting but also reveal the deeper images of the lives of those involved at the time it was painted.
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cherstinne
5.0 out of 5 stars livraison rapide condition parafaite du livre grand merci
Reviewed in France on February 26, 2015
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un portrait très érudit fait d'une main élegante sur une époque parisienne de légende tristement difficile pour les femmes même celles menant une vie aisée.
One person found this helpful
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