The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

Five paintings at the Galerie Georges Petit was drawn in a letter from Whistler ('the General') to Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958) on 5 December 1899, when, according to the artist, 'Paris has gone simply wild about the "Wistleer" group at the exhibition of which this is the opening night! ... an excited crowd in front of the Whistler pictures! so great that it is impossible to see them! ... the whole group or "panel" looks superb!!' ¹

Five paintings at the Galerie Georges Petit, Glasgow University Library

It is catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1600).

Images

Subject

Description

Five paintings at the Galerie Georges Petit, Glasgow University Library

Variations in Blue and Green, Freer Gallery of Art

Symphony in Blue and Pink, Freer Gallery of Art

The sketch shows the arrangement of Whistler’s five paintings at the Exposition Internationale de Peinture et de Sculpture, Galeries George Petit, Paris, 1899, among them Variations in Blue and Green y084 and Symphony in Blue and Pink y086 and Portrait of Miss Marian Draughn y533.

Site

Galerie Georges Petit, Paris.

Technique

Conservation History

Five paintings at the Galerie Georges Petit, Glasgow University Library

The sheet was written on all sides, starting with Whistler's drawing. It was folded once more for postage and is somewhat grubby.

History

Provenance

• 1903: in Whistler's studio at his death, and bequeathed to his ward and executrix, Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958) ;
• 1955: given by Miss R. Birnie Philip to the University of Glasgow.

Exhibitions

It was not exhibited in Whistler's lifetime.

Bibliography

Catalogues Raisonnés

• MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 1600) as 'Five paintings at the Galerie Georges Petit'.
• Young, Andrew McLaren, Margaret F. MacDonald, Robin Spencer, and Hamish Miles, The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler, New Haven and London, 1980 (refs, cat. nos. 84, 86, 533).

Websites

• The Correspondence of James McNeill Whistler, 1855-1903, edited by Margaret F. MacDonald, Patricia de Montfort and Nigel Thorp; including The Correspondence of Anna McNeill Whistler, 1855-1880, edited by Georgia Toutziari. Online edition, University of Glasgow. #04762
• .