STRAPLESS: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madam X

Photo Credit: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Acclaimed author Deborah Davis discusses her book, Strapless, the tantalizing tale of a beautiful American socialite, an ambitious young American painter, and the scandal that ensued against the backdrop of the Belle Époque in Paris

February 11, 2021 -  7PM, via Zoom

The Alliance Francaise of Westchester kicks off the New Year with a stellar program, featuring acclaimed writer, Deborah Davis. The author of many well-read books, including My Love Story, co-written with music legend Tina Turner, and Guest of Honor, Davis will discuss her book Straple John Singer Sargent and the fall of Madame X, published in 2003.

Set against the back-drop of the Belle Époque period in Paris, Davis creates an intriguing tale which reads like a mystery novel, recounting the true story behind Sargent’s famous painting “Madame X”, now hanging in the American wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This little known story of the young American painter, John Singer Sargent and his muse, American-born Parisian socialite Amelie Gautreau, is at once compelling and fascinating.

Despite this period rich in creativity, Singer Sargent’s somewhat suggestive portrait of Madame Gautreau was not well-received in the Paris of the late 19th century, and, in fact, scandal pursued both the artist and his subject, forcing them both to eventually leave Paris. The painting was out of view for many years but was later sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Sargent under the stipulation that it be called “Madame X”, with no mention of the true identity of the woman featured on the canvas.

What better way to spend a Thursday evening in February during quarantine than with an accomplished author and her cast of fascinating characters? Travel with Deborah Davis back to the era of la Belle Epoque in Paris, a period rich with history, art, creativity, culture, and scandal. To fully appreciate this exciting event, we advise you to read Strapless before sharing the evening with us. Afterwards, please feel free to send your questions to info@afwestchesterny.org before February 11 so that Deborah Davis will be able to answer them during her talk.

This event is free to attend, but you need to register so we can send you the Zoom link you'll need to join our video conference.

The novel STRAPLESS was published by Penguin Random House in 2003.

Click here to find out more

About the Author:

Deborah Davis is the author of 10 books, including My Love Story, which she cowrote with music legend Tina Turner, Straple John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X, Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball, Gilded:How Newport Became the Richest Resort in America, The Oprah Winfrey Show: Reflections on an American Legacy, Guest of Honor: Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner that Shocked a Nation, which won the prestigious Phillis Wheatley Award for best work of History in 2013, and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award; Fabritius and the Goldfinch, which Amazon named one of the Best Books of 2014., and The Trip: Andy Warhol¹s Plastic-Fantastic Cross-Country Adventure, the story of Warhol¹s kaleidoscopic road-trip to Hollywood and back in 1963.

Reading the book before the event is highly recommended.