Emily Sargent: Portrait of a Family

John Singer Sargent died a century ago this year, and several institutions in the UK and the United States are marking the occasion. The Met is one of them: ‘Sargent and Paris’ (until 3 August) surveys the painter’s early work, made in France in the 1870s–80s (the show travels to the Orsay this autumn). The museum is also putting on, quite literally, a sister exhibition, of watercolours made by Sargent’s younger sibling Emily, all of which are in its own collection (1 July–9 March 2026). Emily, who predominantly painted landscapes and other outdoor scenes, made many of these works in Europe, where the siblings’ parents had settled in 1854; the family would take seasonal trips around the continent. Emily and John Singer often painted side by side and although the latter’s reputation quickly eclipsed his sister’s, paintings by him (and also their mother) allow us to make comparisons while letting Emily’s artistry speak for itself.

Find out more from the Met’s website.
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